All registered vehicles must have high-security registration plates (HSRP) if they do not already have them, the state government said in a notification issued on Tuesday.
Depending on the digit with which a vehicle’s registration number ends —between 0 and 9 — the notification has set deadlines between July 15 and November 15 for fixing the high-security registration plates.
Apart from the vehicle’s registration number, a high-security plate has a chromium hologram and a unique identification number. The plates are tamper-proof and the authorities can track them when required, officials in the transport department said.
Equipped with a snap-lock mechanism, the plate is immovable and non reusable. Additionally, a retro-reflective sheet enhances its visibility in low-light conditions, the officials said.
“A significant number of vehicles registered in Bengal before 2019 do not have high-security registration plates. Now, the Union ministry of road transport and highways has made it mandatory for all vehicles to have high-security registration plates,” a transport department official said.
A high-security plate comes with a hot-stamped chromium-based hologram of Ashoka Chakra, blue in colour, in the top left corner. In the bottom left corner is a 10-digit permanent identification number (PIN).
The HSRP also comes with a hot-stamped film applied on the registration numerals. The letters in the registration number bear the inscription “India” at a 45-degree angle.
The notification, signed by transport secretary Saumitra Mohan, says the deadline for fixing HSRPs to the vehicles registered in Bengal and with registration numbers ending with 1 and 2 is July 15.
The deadline is August 15 for the vehicles with registration numbers ending with 3 and 4, September 15 for the vehicles with registration numbers ending with 5 and 6, October 15 for the vehicles with registration numbers ending with 7 and 8 and November 15 for the ones whose registration numbers end with 9 and 0.
Senior police officers said the old number plates are easy to tamper with and can be yanked off easily. A stolen vehicle often ends up with a replaced registration plate, making it difficult for the police to track it down.
“The HSRPs come with a non-removable snap-on lock and are quite difficult to replace,” said a senior police officer in the traffic department.
“The hologram and the 10-digit PIN on the high security registration plate will enable the police to access the engine number, chassis number and other details of the car stored in a centralised database,” the officer said.
The owner of a vehicle can apply to the regional transport office where the vehicle is registered for an HSRP. The regional transport officer concerned will immediately forward the application to an authorised dealer.
“We are working on the back-end processes with the National Informatics Centre so that an applicant gets a message about the nearest HSRP dealer,” a transport department official said.
One may also apply to an authorised HSRP manufacturer through the portal of the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers or contact the dealer of the vehicle, officials said.
