KARACHI: The Sindh Police Department has completed an extensive legal enforcement database that involves the blacklisted vehicles in the city under an administrative category. The Safe City project of the province, which has grown with advancements in technology, is expected to witness its next step when law enforcement agencies begin their crackdown against such cars from July 1.
The stringent regulatory initiative seeks to correct inconsistencies in the province’s vehicle database as well as curb widespread tax evasion. In recent months, many blacklisted vehicles have been recorded using the streets of municipalities without being registered with current owners’ information and/or legal clearances by electronic traffic cameras.
Recorded Property That Has Not Been Transferred Sets Off Computer Alarms
The largest group of machines with electronic alarms consists of vehicles bought on the second-hand market but not legally transferred in ownership to their new owners. According to transit authorities, the failure to properly change ownership documentation is a major obstacle to investigation. Upon capturing a moving offense on camera, the fines automatically issued would appear under the name of the previous owner.
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Technology of Safe City Facilitates Automatic Number Plate Recognition at Main Toll Plazas
For the new operation to be carried out from next month onwards, TRACS, together with the state-of-the-art security monitoring systems at all main routes, will play a pivotal role. While manual police roadblocks have the potential of causing traffic snarls, the Safe City system will employ automatic number plate recognition cameras to automatically scan license plates against the central vehicle record database. Whenever a blacklisted vehicle crosses a toll plaza, the system notifies the roadside team on duty immediately.
Citizens Are Advised to Update Title Before July Deadline
As there are many commuter motorcycles and sedans that could be seized at any moment, the provincial government is calling for citizens to act before time runs out. Vehicle owners will be able to check on their status through the Sindh Police vehicle-tracking website.
In cases where the car is tagged as sold but not transferred, the buyer and seller are both required to report to the Excise, Taxation and Anti Narcotics Department without delay. The timely settlement of all outstanding dues and completion of documentation procedures is essential on behalf of the drivers if they want to avoid seizure of their vehicles and penalties.
