KARACHI: A campaign against text defaulting vehicles was kick started by the Sindh government on October 22 (today) Mukesh Kumar Chawla Minister for Excise and Taxation & Narcotics Control notified that his department will carry out a road checking drive from the October 22 to the November 1.He made the announcement while presiding over a meeting, which was attended by Excise and Taxation secretary, Narcotics Control secretary Abdul Rahim Shaikh, Director Generals Shabbir Ahmed Shaikh, Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui, Director Admn Syed Sibten, and other relevant officials. Director General (DG)Shabbir Ahmed Shaikh informed the meeting that in Karachi, 11 teams had been constituted to nab the tax-defaulting vehicles at 38 places. To facilitate the crackdown, 12 branches of National Bank in Karachi had been assigned for tax deposits including AwamiMarkaz Shaheed Millat Road, DHA Phase 1, Clifton, Korangi Industrial, MA Jinnah Road, Denso Hall, SITE, Nazimabad, PIDC, I.I. Chundrigar Road, and Gulshan-e-Hadeed. In Hyderabad, vehicle taxes may be deposited in National Bank branches at Shahbaz Building and Fatima Jinnah Road. Chawla directed the officers assigned for the duty to wear uniforms during the campaign and ensure that no road was blocked during the drive, while impounded vehicles were only to be released after clearance of the outstanding dues with penalty. He also advised the officers to be polite and refrain from misbehaving with anyone, or departmental action may be taken against them. It was also decided in the meeting that during the campaign, action would be taken against Qingqi rickshaws, auto rickshaws, and vehicles plying without number plates and suspicious number plates or expired, temporary registered or old registered numbers, fancy number plates or vehicles plying with personalised number plates which had already been cancelled.Chawla asked all the officers to make the campaign a success and check the maximum number of vehicles because no one was above the law. He also requested the owners of the vehicles to pay their due taxes to avoid any untoward situation. Published in Daily Times, October 22nd 2018.