Cocking a snook at the High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) rule, more than seven lakh newly registered vehicles, including the ones used for VVIPs like the chief minister and deputy chief minister, in Maharashtra are plying without HSRPs,
The HSRP rule has been in place for more than three and a half years intending to curb theft of vehicles and for standardisation.
When asked about the reason for non-compliance, a senior official cited the absence of a specific rule to take action against a vehicle plying sans HSRP. Hence, they slap a fine of Rs 2,000 for spotting a fancy number plate.
“As many as 7.68 lakh new vehicles registered in Maharashtra, including the bulletproof cars used for VVIPs such as the chief minister and the deputy chief minister, interceptor and pilot vehicles of police, and leased buses in the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking’s fleet, among others, are plying without HSRPs,” officials of Regional Transport Offices said.
According to the reports of PTI, of the nearly 69 lakh new vehicles registered in Maharashtra since April 2019, only about 61 lakh vehicles are fitted with HSRPs, popularly called ‘IND’ or INDIA number plates.
According to the latest report of the National Crime Record Bureau (NCRB), Maharashtra saw 27,740 cases of vehicle theft, including 3,282 from Mumbai.
Despite the HSRP rule, many vehicles are still seen sporting fancy number plates, on which numbers are written in cursive fonts, different sizes and languages (like Marathi and English). Notably, some vehicles fit HSRP on the front and fancy number plates on the rear side or visa-versa, officials said.
The HSRP rule mandates that barring two-wheelers, every vehicle should have a chromium-based hologram sticker affixed on the inner side of the vehicle's windshield specifying details of registration, but in many vehicles, these stickers are missing though they sport HSRPs, officials said.
Maharashtra's vehicle population is over 4 crore, but the state government has not yet made these number plates mandatory for vehicles registered before March 31, 2019.
Maharashtra Transport Department Additional Commissioner J B Patil said RTO officials have been directed to take action in the matter. "We are conducting a special drive against vehicles without fitness documents. We will ask RTO officers to check vehicles without HSRPs as well," he added.