LAHORE: The Punjab Excise, Taxation and Narcotics Control department has finalized arrangements for introducing electronicauctioning of attractive registration numbers in respect of motor vehicles from first week of November, replacing `non-transparent` and `agent-dominated` open auctioning processacrossthe province.

`The information technology wing of the department has prepared the software for e-auctioning to carry out online auctioning which will not only ensure transparency in the entire process but also increase revenue for the department`, says ETNCD Director General Akram Ashraf Gondal.

He told Dawn that a meeting to discuss the administrativeapproval of the project would be held on Monday (today).

Gondal said the e-auctioning involving all series of registration marks would eliminate the role of unauthorized persons and agents who used to arrange attractive registration numbers on behalf of applicants during open auctioning, avoid arguments between officials and applicants.

He said currently the department was generating up to Rs300 million annually from manual auctioning which was expected to double after the execution of e-auctioning as applicants would independently take part in online auction.

The DG said under the project an applicant would submit bank security and enter engine and chassis numbers online against the required number to the department to get online password on the pattern ofonline shares trading in stock markets.

After the auction committee announces final bid for a series of registration marks, the applicants would be able to participate in the online auction process while sitting at home or business places, he said, adding the project was already required under the centralization of motor vehicle record and application of universal number-plate across the province.

Gondal further said the e-auctioning would deliver better better results in big cities such as Lahore, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Multan where auctioning took place on a monthly basis.

An excise & taxation officer, who wished not to be named, told this reporter that usually agents took part in the open auctioning in 90 per cent cases because the appli-cants had no time and hired agents againstservice charges.

He said the applicants also sought help of agents who usually offered prices against each number within a limit. The official claimed the department usually did not lose much revenue as the agents got service charges from applicants.

The ofHcial further said currently the applicants had to submit engine and chassis numbers for taking part in open auctioning but four years ago when auctioning took place either through ballot boxes without the requirement of chassis numbers the agents used to get auctioned numbers and sell those at higher rates to the applicants.

The official said it was premature to say the e-auctioning would deliver better results as a majority of people did not have required IT knowledge.