Many RTO services to elude vehicles sans HSRP

Bengaluru: After making high-security registration plates (HSRP) mandatory for vehicles registered before April 1, 2019, the transport department on Friday said RTOs (regional transport offices) will not provide services such as change of ownership of vehicle, address, termination of hypothecation, fitness certificate if vehicle owners fail to follow the new rule. The department set November 17, 2023, as the deadline for over 1.7 crore vehicle owners for installing HSRP. The new rule came into effect August 17 and in almost one month, 15,000 to 20,000 vehicle owners are estimated to have changed their registration plates. The department, which came under attack for not sharing details on where and how one can purchase HSRPs while issuing the order, shared them Friday.A press release from the department said vehicle owners can visit official websites of the transport department and siam.in (a website of Society of Indian Automobile Manufactures) to purchase HSRPs. Vehicle owners will be able to select the manufacturer and dealer location by providing vehicle details. Payment for HSRP should be made online only. Owners will also be able to select the date and time for their installation. The department has warned of action against those installing fake HSRPs. It said number plates sourced through open market and roadside vendors are not valid HSRPs.

Number plate sellers see red over HSRP rule, say it favours only a few

The transport department's decision to make high security registration plates (HSRP) mandatory for old vehicles has faced criticism from conventional number plate manufacturers and sellers in Karnataka. They claim that the department has given a monopoly to a select few HSRP manufacturers, causing a loss of business for over 25,000 manufacturers and sellers. The department denies these allegations and states that it is following the guidelines set by the central government. Critics argue that allowing more HSRP manufacturers would result in competitive pricing and benefit customers, especially in rural areas.

Delhi govt portal to help owners get back overaged vehicles

The transport department in New Delhi plans to create an online portal for people to retrieve their impounded overaged vehicles. The department had launched a drive earlier this year to lift vehicles older than 15 years (petrol) or 10 years (diesel), resulting in around 15,000 impounded vehicles. The transport minister aims to make the process of reclaiming impounded vehicles more convenient and less prone to corruption. A policy will be implemented, requiring owners to provide an undertaking to release their vehicles, following a court order. The drive is intended to reduce pollution and encourage vehicle scrapping.

Onus of vehicle registration on them, auto dealers move HC

The Gujarat high court has issued a notice to the commissioner of transport after automobile dealers filed a petition against a circular mandating vehicle registration. The circular requires dealers to register vehicles and install High Security Registration Plates (HSRP). The dealers argue that this is a statutory function of regional transport offices and that they do not have the necessary resources or personnel for the task. The court has asked the commissioner to respond by September 21.