HYDERABAD: Wonder when you can buy a car and not have to bother about getting it registered? The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways had mandated that all new vehicles hitting the road from April 1 would have to get High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP), and registrations would have to be done at the showroom. However, this has not become a reality at several major outlets. The reason - no clarity on who will initiate the process, the dealer or the RTA.
The new number plates, which are touted to help curb vehicle thefts, are to be fixed at the showroom, with registration done on the day of buying the vehicle. However, multiple dealers said they had no idea how to the process would work.
A popular two-wheeler dealer claimed it might take three-four months for the system to be implemented. “We don’t know how the process works. No one from the RTA has explained it to us. We heard the RTA would start online registrations, which one could apply for when buying a vehicle, and the number would be affixed on the vehicle immediately,” said the showroom’s manager. Others say the public have been requesting for this facility. “Talks have been on, but we aren’t sure who is going to introduce it. We get many queries from customers who don’t want to go through the hassle of going to the RTA,” said a popular dealer of Maruti cars.HSRP plates have special locks, tamper-proof stickers, holograms and other safety features.
‘New system from May/June’
“The rule is applicable only on vehicles manufac-tured from April 1. Hence, affixing the HSRP is being done at the RTA now,” an RTA official said, adding that the new system would be implemented from May or June