BHUBANESWAR: The State government has made the high-security registration plates (HSRPs) mandatory for all classes of old vehicles that were registered prior to April 1, 2019. As decided, the HSRP on old vehicles will be affixed by vehicle manufacturers through their authorised vehicle dealers. Owners of the vehicles are free to choose any dealer, place and date for affixing of HSRP.
There will be no penal action for not affixing HSRP for the first three months (till August 31). Earlier, the HSRP was compulsory for all new vehicles registered on or after 1 April 2019. In an official order, Transport Commissioner Arun Bothra said only original equipment manufacturers (OEMs)/authorised dealers of OEMs will be allowed to fix the HSRP on the old vehicles in a bid to control and check the substandard material.
Vehicle owners have been given three months' time to fix the HSRP on old vehicles before enforcement is undertaken by the Transport department officials or police officials. As mandated, only the HSRP vendor authorised by the vehicle manufacturers will supply the HSRPs to their authorised dealers. The vehicle manufacturers and dealers have been asked to display their rates for different categories of vehicles manufactured by them on their portals and showrooms.
The vehicle owners will book for fitting of HSRP and make payment for the purpose through online portal authorised by the OEMs to maintain transparency and prevent irregularities. The transport department has directed OEMs to make their online portals live for Odisha customers to book HSRP immediately. The portal authorised by the OEMs will offer the facility to the vehicle owners for selection of any location and date for affixing HSRP as per their convenience.
Previously, the number plates used to come with different fonts and styles customised by vehicle owners. This made it difficult for traffic police personnel to read the vehicle’s registration number, especially if it was moving. With HSRP, registration plates will have a unified font and style.
What is HSRP
HSRPs are made of aluminum. These plates are tamper-proof and come with two non-reusable locks. The number plates have a chromium-based Ashoka Chakra on the left, along with ‘IND’ written. The vehicle identification number will be laser encoded, which is easy to be scanned and difficult to be tampered with.