The State Government is likely to make affixation of high-security registration plates (HSRPs) on all vehicles, including the old ones, compulsory soon.
The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had issued a gazette notification in December, 2018 and the Motor Vehicles (High Security Registration Plates) Order, 2018 specifying certain standards to be complied with for making HSRPs for all vehicles to be effective from April 1, 2019.
Though several states and the national capital territory of Delhi have implemented the HSRP for all vehicles, Odisha is yet to implement it comprehensively.
State transport authorities have initiated a process to implement the new rules. A high-level meeting for this purpose will be held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra on May 6 at 12.30 PM, official sources said here on Saturday.
Once the rules are in place, the State Transport Authority intends to book cases on vehicle owners for failing to affix HSRPs under the provisions of ‘Improper Number Plates’ specified in MV Act (Rule 50, 51 of MV Act, 1989).
The Act specifies colours of registration letters and numbers category wise, sides of number plates and their display position, it disallows usage of fancy letters and display of other names, pictures and arts.
Now, installation of the high security number plate has been made mandatory for new vehicles only.
The officials said that as any new vehicle gets registration for a period of 15 years and the period gets extended for every five years subject to the vehicle condition. The rule gives them an opportunity to crack whip on vehicles including both new and old having no such number plates to book cases and impose fines as per norms.
They say that vehicle owners who sport fancy numbers without complying with norms of HSRP may have to be prepared to face penal action given the instances like displaying only ‘99’ or ‘999’ instead of ‘0099’ or ‘0999’.