JOIN USThe number of cases against faulty numberplates is shooting up every year. A whopping increase of around 45,000 cases has been registered between 2012 and 2015.
While the number of offences was 23,900 in 2012, in 2015 the number shot up to 70,988 cases. In 2014, the number of offences was 67,677.
Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M A Saleem says the number of cases has been going up sharply because the number of people fitting faulty numberplates is increasing.
“There is always a temptation to fix fancy and stylish numberplates, but they may not necessarily be in tune with the Central Motor Vehicle Rules. The City has a number of people who want to make a style statement with the numberplates. This is particularly true among youngsters and people entering their thirties who own vehicles. Flair is a big draw now,” says Saleem.
There is also a temptation among Bengalureans to fix high-security numberplates (HSNP) or high-security registration plates (HSRP). The HSNP is a numberplate which will have a hologram of the Ashoka Chakra (the National Emblem), IND written in bold blue colour on the extreme left centre of the plate and the PCIN (permanent consecutive identification number). Though it is not legal in Karnataka to sport an HSNP numberplate, scores of Bengalureans sport such numberplates. The faults include writing only in Kannada, numberplates which do not follow designated font size, illegible writing and writing additional stuff.
Arbitrary pricing
Each of these plates cost around Rs 1,500-2,000 which is expensive. Several cases have been filed in the High Court against the arbitrary pricing and cases are still being heard.
Transport officials said it is illegal to have high-security numberplates when the case is in court. “The Transport Department has also issued a circular that it is illegal in Karnataka to sport such high-end numberplates, but people are desperate to show off their vehicles with fancy numbers and in fancy style only to end up violating the law. Such people are bound to get caught in our drives. This is why the number of violations goes up so sharply. The numbers are high also because we have made enforcement very strict in the last two years. Earlier, it used to be moderate, but now monitoring has become stricter,” said a senior transport official.
Once government-authorised high-security numberplates are introduced, tampering with them cannot happen; and many outlets, for example, in the JC Road area, cannot print numberplates as the hologram would be computer-generated by the government’s authorised department.
People would tend to be careful with the new plates because they wouldn’t want to go through the tedious process of getting another numberplate. Once the number plate is authorised, it becomes a criminal offence to tamper with it. This alone would bring down the number of violations, traffic police say.