Right-hand drive car owners demand cut in registration fee

KHOST CITY (Pajhwok): About 10,000 right-hand drive vehicles have been registered in southeastern Khost province during the past two months and issued documents, but owners of the vehicles say they cannot afford the registration fee.

According the provincial Traffic Department, currently about 150,000 right hand drive vehicles exist in Khost province.

Maulavi Khiali Khan, director of the department, told Pajhwok Afghan News that they had launched the registration process of right hand drive non-registered vehicles in compliance with a decree from the high authorities.

During the past two months, about 10000 such vehicles were registered and issued documents so their their owners could drive them anywhere in the country, Khan said.

Each such vehicle is currently issued documents for three years with possible extension in the future.

“A pre-2000 model car is charged 3,400 afs per its engine cylinders and vehicle newer than 2000 year until 2010 is charged 5,400 afs fee per its cylinders, but if a vehicle model is newer then 2010 until 2022 it must pay 7,400afs fee”.

But vehicles owners asked the government for a cut in the registration fee of their vehicles, saying the current charges were beyond their affordability.

Din Mohammad Gurbuz was happy that his right hand drive vehicle was registered, but complained about the high fee.

He said: “Majority of car owners cannot pay 25,000 afs or 30,000 afs for the documents of their cars. We have some papers issued by the previous government, but still we have to pay heavy charges”.

Sharif Khan, another resident who wanted to register his car, urged the government to decrease the amount of fees.

He added: “It is very hard for poor people, some people do not have money. A car owner told me he is going sell his household animals to register his car because he had no other option.”

But Maulavi Khyali Khan, head of the traffic department, said it was not their authority to reduce the registration fee and the decision had been taken by high officials of the government.

aw/ma

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