First day of secure number plates

NEW DELHI: The first day of secure numberplates in Delhi turned out to be a bit of a damp squib as mostly authorization slips were handed out to new vehicle owners. Officials at the high security registration plate (HSRP) centre at Burari said only four vehicles came to get the plates installed. About 20 authorization slips were issued on Tuesday. Incidentally, about 1,000 vehicles get registered in Delhi every day.
Senior officials in the transport department said both centres-at Burari and Mall Road-are going to issue authorization slips at present. "The company has six days to get the numberplates fixed. So the process will pick up by next week. In the meantime, the company will ensure that the numberplates are prepared and ready to be installed when the vehicles come," said a government official. The department is also planning to go ahead with the June 15 deadline for older vehicles.
Meanwhile, at both Mall Road and Burari, there was little activity as only slips were given out. "Four vehicles came for installation at Burari on the first day. We have placed our officials at different RTOs to issue the slips and are waiting for people to come," said Shisir Banerjee of Rosmerta, the agency entrusted with implementing the scheme. At Mall Road, a small number of people were seen getting registration slips. A company official informed that the Mall Road RTO was only issuing authorization slips and that the installation of numberplates would take place only at Burari. "I had come to Mall Road to get the new numberplates, but they are now asking me to go to Burari," said Rajiv Shukla, who was waiting outside the transport office on Mall Road.
While officials in the transport department said the centres were capable of installing 1,000 plates every day, apprehensions about delay in the process have prompted the department to consider an online alternative. Said a senior official, "We will launch an online application soon, where the request for the registration plate can be submitted and vehicle owners or representatives like dealers can get the authorization slip immediately." Owners can thereafter go to the HSRP centre to get the numberplate attached, he added. "We hope to launch the online application by the month-end," said the official.