Lahore: City Traffic Police Lahore (CTPL) have intensified their campaign against fake, tampered and non-standard vehicle number plates, registering 72 criminal cases during June against owners of motorcycles and luxury vehicles found using bogus registration plates to evade the e-challan system.
According to Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Syed Abdul Rahim Shirazi, enforcement teams took action against more than 21,000 vehicles during the month. A total of 9,434 challan tickets were issued to vehicles either operating without number plates or displaying ‘Applied For’ plates. Another 5,723 motorcycles and vehicles were fined for using fancy or non-standard registration plates instead of those prescribed by the Excise Department.
The CTO said 5,552 vehicles were also issued challans for tampering with registration plates, including bending, breaking or concealing identification details to avoid detection by the e-challan system.
During the campaign, more than 50,000 motorists committing minor violations were educated about traffic laws and the importance of displaying standard number plates.
He said the fine for a car without a number plate ranges from Rs3,000 to Rs5,000, while motorcycle riders are liable to a fine of Rs1,000. Motorists found using fake registration plates are being booked under relevant fraud provisions of the law.
The CTO advised citizens to install their new universal registration number after transferring vehicle ownership instead of continuing to use the previous registration. He said traffic violators often tamper with number plates to escape e-challans, while criminals use fake registration plates to conceal their identity. He clarified that vehicles displaying registration plates in accordance with the Excise Department’s approved specifications are not being penalised.