BENGALURU: Many old vehicle owners with vehicle models like Fiat, Ambassador, Cielo, Matiz, Opel, Hero Puch, LML, Kinetic Honda and others are not able to affix High Security Number Plates (HSRP) for their vehicles.
HSRP’s have to be affixed to the vehicles only through their respective manufacturers. However, majority of these aforementioned companies have shut down, leaving these old vehicle owners with no option to get their HSRP.
When TNIE raised the issue with the state transport department, Additional Commissioner of Transport (Enforcement) Mallikarjuna said that the state transport department too has received such requests from vehicle owners, whose companies are no longer functional in India.
“Vehicle owners who wish to get HSRP visit the state transport department website (transport.karnataka.gov.in) or Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers website and book it by choosing the vehicle manufacturer. As some of the old vehicle manufacturers have closed their operations, such companies are not featured in the list of manufacturers for people to book their HSRP.”
Mallikarjuna said that there are a few thousand such vehicles, who have to affix the HSRP before the May 31 deadline but are unable to so, as they do not have any option. “So, we decided to write to the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways explaining the situation, and requesting them to permit other automobile companies to affix HSRP to such vehicles,” he added.
The state transport department issued a notification in August last year making it mandatory for all vehicles registered before April 1, 2019, to get HSRP for their vehicles. Till now, the deadline has been extended twice and the current deadline ends on May 31.