Defying the High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) rule, numerous vehicle owners have challenged the authorities by continuing to ply their vehicles without the mandatory number plates.
The HSRP rule, which has been in effect for over four years, was enforced to prevent vehicle theft and promote standardization as a part of the pan-India drive.
The ground reality is however disappointing. A large number of vehicles are freely moving around the streets with their old or fancy registration plates, violating the Motor Vehicle Act that imposes penalties for non-compliance.
Dept admits violation but
currently prioritizing road safety
The Transport Department has acknowledged the violation and stated that they are addressing the issue gradually. “The State has witnessed a rise in accidents and fatalities. As such, our primary focus is on road safety in a bid to curb vehicular accidents and bring road discipline. We have nevertheless not ignored the strict implementation of HSRP. All issues are being addressed one by one,” Transport Director Rajan Satardekar said.
HSRP implementation
to be revived
The department, Satardekar said plans to revive the implementation process and re-launch drives to ensure all vehicles are equipped with the HSRP plates. “We will shortly re-look at the implementation,” he said adding, “Many vehicles have otherwise installed the HSRP plates and the implementation is still underway. Vehicles are being fitted with these mandatory number plates till date”
However, he said, some vehicle owners are displaying a lack of urgency in adhering to the rule. "There is a decline in voluntary compliance among the people," the officer added.
Time when vehicles queued
up at fitment centres
At the fag-end of 2019 and post the second outbreak of COVID-19 in 2020, vehicle owners flocked to designated fitment centers, creating long queues to comply with the installation of the HSRP rule. The surge in demand led to individuals taking leaves from work to ensure they make it to their allotted slots provided by the HSRP contractors entrusted with the project.
Subsequently, there was a sharp decline in the number of bookings and installations on existing vehicles prompting the directorate of transport to restart the drive in January 2022.
There were instances wherein people booked HSRPs but did not visit their respective centres for installation. The occurrence of Covid-19 infections among the staff members at some of the HSRP fitting centers further led to temporary closures, which resumed subsequently but it too affected the fitment process.
To ensure compliance, the government in April 2022 warned to impose Rs 500 penalty on violators while simultaneously carrying out the awareness drive.
The implementation of HSRP has been in effect in the country since 2014. Initially, under the then Transport Minister Sudin Dhavalikar, the enforcement of these rules began by installing HSRPs on vehicles but the process was halted due to legal challenges claiming that it was a fraudulent scheme. Schmidt Utsch was appointed to carry out the HSRP project in 2008. The government thereafter issued a show cause notice to the company in 2010. The High Court of Bombay at Goa dismissed a petition by the company challenging its termination in May 2011. The HSRP contract was retendered and two contractors were appointed for both the districts.
