People would soon be spared from spending six-odd hours to get high security registration plates fixed on their vehicles.

Next week onwards, according to the Patna district transport office, owners of four- and two-wheelers would be able fix such number plates at a new centre in the heart of the city at Patliputra Golambar.

At present, they have to go to Pahari on Patna Bypass Road, some 10km away from the city, for installation of the mandatory registration panels.

“Based on the feedback from vehicle owners and automobile dealers, it was observed that another such set-up is required somewhere inside the city. Accordingly, we have recently acquired a place near Patliputra Golambar. We are intending to make the new station operational within a week,” district transport officer Dinesh Kumar Rai said.

Though high security registration plates have been fixed on mere 2,271 vehicles of total 6,228 booked in Patna between June 11 and September 15, Rai has claimed that the district transport office had nothing to do with it.

“What can we do if people are not bringing their vehicles for getting such number plates fixed?” said Rai.

The officer has a point as vehicle owners hardly take the arduous journey to Pahari for the tamper-proof number plates. In fact, a contract between the transport department M/S Utsav Safety System (P) Ltd. stipulates that these high security plates have to be fixed within 48 hours of booking.

“Going by the figures, it seems that only around one-third of booked vehicles are fixed with such number plates,” said Narendra Kumar, director (plan) of Alankar Auto Sales and Services Private Limited, an automobile dealer.

He added: “The process would have been much faster if the dealers were entrusted with the responsibility of getting the plates installed in the vehicles. We would have finished the set-up in just two hours against the present waiting time of several days

However, the recent decision has brought smiles back to the vehicle owners.

“Pahari being around 10km from the city, we have to take a day-off for the simple job of fixing a number plate besides burning fuel of at least Rs 300. The new facility will make it much easier for us to get number plates fixed, as we shall not have to travel very far,” said Amritesh Pandey of Sheikhpura who owns a sedan.