HYDERABAD: Smart card provider Colorplast Systems Private Limited denied the allegations of using substandard ‘Chinese chips’ in cards supplied to the Telangana transport department for vehicle registration certificates (RCs) and driving licenses (DLs) and data breach.
On Thursday, the department debarred Colorplast from participating in future tender processes. It added that legal action will be initiated against the company after its responses were deemed unsatisfactory regarding compliance with Smart Card Operating System for Transport Application (SCOSTA) guidelines set by the Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highway (MoRTH).
In its contention, the Delhi-based company stated, “These accusations are entirely unfounded and appear to be part of a malicious effort to damage our reputation. We want to make it clear that Colorplast had no role in any data breach, as our responsibility was solely limited to supplying blank cards. Data printing and personalisation were handled independently by the Transport Department, using government-approved software developed by MeitY’s National Informatics Centre (NIC).”
However, according to Kamal Soi, chairman of the Punjab-based NGO Raahat (The Safe Community Foundation), which brought the issue to light, the NIC after examining some of the sample cards found that Colorplast supplied non-compliant cards, violating contractual conditions among other issues.
Claiming that origins of the cards sent for testing remain unclear, which it questioned in its response to the show-cause notice by the department, Colorplast management suspected foul play. “The NIC’s testing has also confirmed that there is no basis for the allegation of using ‘Chinese chips’ in our products.”
It also stated that it has not received any legal notice or communication from the department concerning any issues with the cards we supplied. “We have never had a single card returned on the grounds of non-compliance or poor quality by the Telangana Transport Department, nor by any of our customers.”
