Unauthorised vendors taking advantage of Transport Department making HSRP mandatory to hawk lookalike number plates in Karnataka

Unauthorised vendors taking advantage of Transport Department making HSRP mandatory to hawk lookalike number plates in Karnataka

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The Transport Department’s order to fix high-security registration plate (HSRP) on vehicles registered before April 1, 2019, has raised new concerns. Many unauthorised HSRP manufacturers in Karnataka have been fixing illegal HSRP number plates due to a lack of awareness about the order, according to Association of Registration Plates Manufacturers of India.

In August, a notification and circular issued by Karnataka Transport Department made it mandatory to install High Security Registration Plate (HSRP) on two crore vehicles registered prior to April 1, 2019. The deadline given by the department to install the HSRPs was November 17, 2023.

Association of Registration Plates Manufacturers of India alleged that many vehicle owners have been fixing HSRP through unauthorised dealers or manufacturers.

Sudhir Goyal, Executive Member and spokesperson of the association, told The Hindu, “Many are installing lookalike HSRPs, IND mark or get INDIA inscribed on their number plate through roadside vendors. This is illegal. These are not authorized HSRP. Motorists should get the number plates only from the vehicle manufacturer (OEM), or from authorized dealers.”

In its notification, the Transport Department warned of legal action against dealers or any other person found to be selling or supplying HSRP in Karnataka without being authorized by the OEMs.

Mr Goyal said, “In June 2023, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) had written to all the State transport departments to take punitive action, including blacklisting or termination against such unauthorized HSRP agencies, which are openly supplying unauthorized HSRP number plates in the market to unsuspecting vehicle owners.”