Transport Dept in a tizzy over HSRP

Transport Dept in a tizzy over HSRP
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Highlights

The deadline to switch old vehicle number plates to High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) set by the Supreme Court ended in December 2015, yet the Transport Department officials lay clueless with reference to altering 74 lakh old vehicle number plates to HSRP.

Hyderabad: The deadline to switch old vehicle number plates to High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) set by the Supreme Court ended in December 2015, yet the Transport Department officials lay clueless with reference to altering 74 lakh old vehicle number plates to HSRP.

As per the Supreme Court orders, the State governments should alter all the vehicle number plates with High Security Registration Plates (HSRP). However, officials have no clue on how to implement the orders of the apex court.

Supreme Court had directed the transport departments of all the States and Union Territories to convert all the vehicles into HSRP. The HSRP was brought in to prevent counterfeiting and duplication of registration or number plates. Besides, it would also help in creating a computerised and nationwide database of registered vehicles.

HSRP is an aluminium plate with rounded border edges, corners and an embossed border. It should have a chromium based hologram with “IND” on it, in blue colour, to secure national identity as well as standardisation. The presence of reflective sheets of superior grade, visible from minimum 200 meters, will reduce fatal accidents in night hours.

The government of un-divided Andhra Pradesh had delegated the task of fixation in December 2013 to Utsav Safety Systems and Link Point Infrastructure consortium. The government fixed the fee as Rs 245 for two wheelers, Rs 282 for three wheelers and Rs 619 for four wheelers and Rs 649 for heavy motor vehicles.

The department had started implementing the order on the new vehicles from December 11, 2013 and said they would implement the scheme on older vehicles within 90 days. However, it had been two years now and there is no clarity on the number of vehicles changed to HSRP. Recently, the High Court had given notices to the State government on implementation of the HSRP.

Officials in the department said Telangana was the only State where the fixation of number plates was going on smoothly for new vehicles. “Now, we have made it compulsory for the vehicles to first fix the HSRP and later take the RCs,” said a senior official in the department.

The other States which had brought it before us are lagging behind in converting the plates into HSRP, said the official. The official said it was a policy decision and they are ready to take up if there are orders.

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