Sindh Tajir Ittehad (STI) Chairman Sheikh Habib has condemned the Sindh government for failing to issue number plates to new motorcycle owners despite collecting registration fees, calling it a glaring example of misgovernance. He added that officials often do not even stamp registration slips with the remark “number plate not issued,” which he described as serious maladministration and proof that laws are passed without proper implementation.
While he acknowledged that the e-challan system has curtailed police discretion and reduced opportunities for corruption, Sheikh Habib stressed that the system can only be truly effective if supported by a robust and accurate vehicle database. He urged authorities to streamline registration and number plate issuance before introducing new laws, so citizens are not unnecessarily harassed.
Citing official figures, he noted that over 93,000 e-challans amounting to Rs7.2 billion in fines were issued in a single month, and questioned how the government plans to recover these amounts when thousands of motorcycles are unregistered or lack proper plates. He argued that every vehicle should be registered in the name of its actual owner and proposed that fines for bikers be capped at Rs. 500 to Rs. 1,000 in the first year to avoid overburdening low-income riders, along with introducing a government-backed helmet scheme.
Sheikh Habib further called for a mandatory biometric system to prevent vehicle transactions through unknown or fake identities and demanded a comprehensive monitoring mechanism to keep ownership records updated. He maintained that without fixing registration, data, and governance issues, even reforms like the e-challan system will remain vulnerable to corruption and inefficiency.
