BENGALURU: Vehicle owners in the state will get three more months to affix the high-security registration plate (HSRP). Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy on Wednesday informed the State Legislative Council that they will extend the last date to affix HSRP by three months.
Reddy said affixing HSRP number plates to vehicles was done across the country as per the directions of the Supreme Court and the Union Government, but there was a delay in starting the process in Karnataka. As of now, only 18 lakh vehicles in the state have affixed HSRP number plates, he said.
“We have to extend the deadline and let us extend it by three months,” the minister informed the Council.
In a written response to council member Madhu G Madegowda, the Transport Minister stated that only 9.16 per cent of vehicles in the state have HSRP, and the deadline fixed earlier is expiring on February 17.
There are around two crore vehicles in the state that are registered prior to April 2019.
Reddy said the system is transparent, everything is done online without any cash transaction and only authorized agencies can affix the number plates. He also assured the members that the government would look into their concerns about fake websites duping vehicle owners.
The minister said the government must create awareness among vehicle owners and try to ensure that all vehicles have HSRP within the next three months.
If the vehicle owners fail to affix HSRP within the stipulated time, a fine of Rs 500 will be imposed for the first time, and a fine of Rs 1,000 will be imposed for subsequent offenses, he stated.
The MLC said if HSRP is issued without verifying the validity of the old vehicle’s RC, it leads to the legalization of such vehicles. Reddy said that is not possible, as the HSRP is issued only after verifying the vehicle details.