1.76 crore vehicles in Karnataka to instal high-security number plates in 3 years

As many as 1.76 crore vehicles across the state will have to change their number plates into high security registration plates (HSRP) in the next three years, with the government preparing to make an announcement in this regard soon.

An HSRP, introduced as a measure to check theft and misuse of vehicles, comes with a hologram with the plate in the back attached to the vehicle, with a snap lock which can't be reused or replaced. A sticker on the windshield integrates the registration number along with engine and chassis numbers. The number is integrated with the government's Vahan portal for verifying authenticity.

As per the direction of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, all vehicles bought after March 31, 2019 come with HSRP which are issued by the dealers. However, the application of the rule for 1.76 crore vehicles which were registered has been delayed following legal challenges to the bids invited by the department as well as red tape.

After failing to meet several deadlines set by the Union government and the Supreme Court over the past two decades, the government had recently directed the officials at the Regional Transport Office to expedite the matter.

Additional Commissioner of Transport L Narendra Holkar said the process of selecting a vendor through the bidding process will be completed soon. "We will give three years of time for compliance, which will be enough for changing the plates of the vehicles,," he said.

A senior official, however, said the RTO officials have failed to include inspection as a prior procedure before issuing HSRP. "In Bengaluru alone, about 500 vehicles are stolen per month. We have come across many bogus registration certificates (RC) created for use of stolen vehicles. Such vehicles will be legalised if HSRP is given without inspecting the validity of the RC," he said.

Transport Commissioner N Shivakumar said they will discuss the issue. "Bogus RCs are not rampant. Still, we will discuss the matter and decide on including it in the procedure," he said.