: 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. Odisha is yet to implement it comprehensively.
The State’s transport authorities have initiated a process to implement the new rules. A high-level meeting for this purpose would be held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary SC Mahapatra on May 6, official sources said 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 and disallows usage of fancy letters and display of other names, pictures and arts.
The vehicle owners who sport fancy numbers may face penal action given the instances like displaying only ‘99’ or ‘999’ instead of ‘0099’ or ‘0999’.