Helpless officials and toothless MV Act

LUCKNOW: Vehicles sans number platesmay be in for trouble as the traffic department plans to launch a 15-day drivefrom August 15 in which all such vehicles will have to dish out a fine of Rs100. Like all such drives this will not be targeted at the Lord of the Roads-‘manniya vidhayakji'' instead focussing on ordinary denizens to fleece themat every such opportunity.Most brand new SUV owners from differentpolitical parties with no number plate have been arguing that it takes a monthto get the registration done. However, as per traffic rules, they are notallowed to take their vehicle onto the road for even a second without a numberplate. As a short term measure the dealer of the vehicle hands out a temporarynumber plate to be used until a duly verified and legitimised registrationnumber is issued.Traffic officials find themselves almost helplessas the challan of Rs 100 is hardly a deterrent. Though a 15-day drive in July,2004 resulted in 67 number plate related challans, it has not made a dent innumber of vehicles driving without a number plate. An official saidthat punishments in the Motor Vehicles Act (MVA), 1988 were insufficient andthese cars needed to be impounded in order to teach flouters a lesson.The number plate is often covered in mud or has the number scratchedout. However, even in this case the traffic authorities can do little but toissue a warning to the vehicle owner. SP Traffic, Onkar Singh, saidthat the number plate has to be displayed at the front and the back of thevehicle but this is not followed as the plate is either missing or displayedonly on the rear side. One MLA''s driver confessed that the number plate hadfallen off and the owner had not bothered to replace it. On a BSP MLA''s vehiclethere was a number plate in front but totally covered by the larger board of‘Vidhayak''. Sections 39 to 65 of the MVA enumerates in greatdetail the registration laws while Motor Vehicles Rules 1989, enlists the exactshape, size and colour of the number plate to be used for better visibility.Nothing except the number can be displayed on the number plate. Incidentally,most of the traffic officials are unaware of the laws regarding thespecifications of number plates to be used and surprisingly there is not even asingle copy of MVR 1989 available at the SP traffic''s office. Thoughthe MVA is silent on this, the traffic norms do not permit private vehicleowners to flash their designation on the vehicle even ‘poorva vidhyaks''(ex-MLA), ‘manniya sadysa'' (Honourable member) of a particular party and‘chhatra neta'' (student leader) have no inhibitions in announcing theirstatus.If the official is not in the car the designation plateshould be covered is another norm that is not followed. In practice, however, itis not only the car in which the VIP himself is travelling that bears hisdesignation but every car in his cavalcade will be sans number plate with a boldproclamation of the designation as an intimidatory tactic to bully ordinarycommuters to give them right of way. While flaunting theirdesignation in prolific detail is almost a norm with every VIP car, thesescrooges are unwilling to shell out money to register for VIP numbers that comeat a cost of Rs 5000 for VIP and Rs 10,000 for a VVIP number series.