Bihar will join the league of states having the system of issuing high security registration plates for vehicles on Monday, little over two months after the first scheduled date of launch.

The state transport department will start issuing special plates for all new vehicles in Patna and 10 other districts from Monday.

On May 31, the department had entered into a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with M/s Utsav Safety System Private Limited for issuing the high security number plates from June 10. The firm will start issuing them from June 11, as June 10 was a Sunday.

State transport secretary-cum-transport commissioner (additional charge) R.K. Mahajan told The Telegraph: “The agency selected for supplying the number plates in the state has set up the embossing stations in Patna and Gaya. The embossing stations would cater to affixation stations in 11 districts in the first stage. The process of issuing the registration plates would officially start from tomorrow (Monday).”

The embossing stations in the city and Gaya would double up as affixation stations.

A meeting of all vehicle dealers in the state capital with the district transport officer (DTO), Patna, is slated for Monday. “The selected agency has set up the embossing-cum-affixation station at Pahari on New Bypass in Patna. The firm has already issued the number plates to some vehicles on a trial basis. We have also called all vehicle dealers in the state capital for a meeting on Monday to deliberate on the mechanism to be followed strictly,” said Harihar Prasad, DTO, Patna.

Harihar said vehicle owners could pay for the installation of registration plates either at the time of purchasing vehicles or approach the DTO’s office directly after taking delivery of the vehicle and the corresponding registration papers from the dealer. (See graphics)

For high-security registration number plates, two-wheeler owners have to cough up Rs 131 and light motor vehicle/passenger car owners would have to pay Rs 335. The new system for old vehicles would start from July 15.

Several dealers were cynical about the new system, though.

“I am highly sceptical about the system because dealers have not received any communication yet about the procedure to be followed. Till date, we have been following dealer point registration mechanism, wherein the dealer issues the registration number issued by the transport department. Neither have we been told if this mechanism would become void after the new one comes into force, nor do we have a clue on what basis we would take payment for the high security number plates for new vehicles. There are many other issues and I believe those would be cleared in tomorrow’s (Monday’s) meeting,” said Narendra Kumar, the director of Alankar Auto Sales and Services Private Limited.