Sindh cabinet approves new vehicle number plates

KARACHI: The Sindh Cabinet in a meeting chaired by Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah approved new number plates with security features for vehicles in the province.

The chief minister, keeping in view theft, misuse and abuse of the vehicles, had approved Rs400 million to introduce security featured number plates in the province.

The Excise and Taxation Department held a meeting with National Radio and Telecommunication Corporation (NRTC), an entity of the Ministry of Defence. Minister Excise Mukesh Kumar Chawla gave a presentation on the security featured number plates to the cabinet.

The NRTC said that the automatic number plates recognition (ANPR) was increasingly used by government, law enforcement agencies, safe city authorities and private sector operators to enhance policing of roads, identifying and monitoring criminal activity in counter-terrorism.

The number plate has a template of ajrak and Mazar-e-Quaid and will be introduced by November this year. The cabinet approved the proposal but asked the department to once again discuss its final feature in the sub-committee of the cabinet.

The cabinet approved enhancement in compensation rate for civilian victims of various acts of terrorism, bomb blast, natural calamities, natural disasters and others by many folds, including for the bread earner.

The meeting was attended by all the provincial ministers, advisors, chief secretary and concerned officers. The home department submitted the proposal for enhancement of compensation which the cabinet approved after discussion.

The compensation for loss of life due to terrorist acts has been enhanced from Rs500,000 to Rs1 million. The rate of victims of crossfire has been increased from Rs200,000 to Rs500,000, while the rate for victims of target killing increased from Rs200,000 to Rs500,000.

The rate of minor injuries due to terrorist activities retained at Rs100,000, while rate of permanent disability has also been enhanced from Rs200,000 to Rs400,000.

The compensation of loss of life (bread earner) has been enhanced from Rs100,000 to Rs200,000, and rate of loss of life of others has been enhanced from Rs30,000 to Rs100,000.

The compensation rate for the families who suffer losses due to natural calamities, disasters and other causes such as full amount/compensation has been enhanced from Rs5,000 to Rs50,000.

Fifty percent of actual loss has been amounting to Rs200,000 has been enhanced to Rs500,000. The rate of loss calculated at Rs10,000 to Rs60,00 has been fixed at Rs50,000 to Rs100,000.

Similarly, loss between Rs60,000 to Rs100,000 has been enhanced to Rs100,000 to Rs300,000 and the loss of Rs100,000 and above has been enhanced to Rs300,000 and above.