The transport department has asked all district transport officers not to issue registration certificate books or smart cards to owners of newly bought vehicles that do not have high security registration plates.

Sources said the decision was taken at a video conferencing meeting between district transport officers and senior officials of the transport department at the latter’s headquarters on July 13.

“The transport officers who attended the meeting said the registration certificate books and the authorisation letter for affixation of the high security registration plates are issued at the time a vehicle is sold. A person buying a vehicle is expected to submit the authorisation letter to the district transport office and pay the corresponding fees, following which they get the corresponding challan. The challan contains the date and time at which the owner should take the vehicle to the high security registration plate affixation station and get the plate affixed,” a senior transport department officer said.

“The district transport officers claimed that the number of challans issued was much less than the authorisation letters issued by them. This, in turn, has led to the slow implementation of the high security registration plate scheme,” he added.

Under such circumstances, the officer said, the transport secretary on July 13 issued a directive stating that vehicle owners would get the registration certificate books or smart cards only after they get the challans of paying the high security registration plates at the district transport office concerned and get the plates fixed on their vehicles.

Many vehicle dealers are, however, unhappy with the present process of installation of high security registration plates.

“Fees for plates are supposed to be paid at a designated counter in the district transport office. No such office exists in Patna. Dealers have been asked to collect fees from the purchaser and submit the amount to the district transport offices, get challans and hand over papers to purchasers so that the latter can take their vehicles to the affixation station. This process is illegal, as no such process exists on paper. Besides, it puts burden on dealers. Many dealers are planning to meet the district transport officer, Patna, and protest against such unregulated practices,” said Narendra Kumar, director (plan), Alankar Auto Sales and Services Private Limited.

The transport department had on May 31 entered into a memorandum of understanding with M/S Utsav Safety System (P) Ltd to commence supply and installation of high security registration plates to all new vehicles in the state from June 10.