Odisha govt makes high-security registration plates mandatory for old vehicles

Tamper-proof high-security registration plates (HSRPs) that are laser encoded and can be easily scanned have been made compulsory for all classes of old vehicles that were registered before April 2019 in Odisha. The State Transport Authority (STA) said on Monday that the HSRP on these vehicles will be attached by the car makers at their authorised dealerships only to control and check the substandard material.

The state government has ascertained a deadline for affixing the HSRPs to old vehicles carrying Odisha registration mark and registration number ending with 1 and 2 as August 31. For registration numbers ending with 3 and 4, the date has been set as September 31 while for those ending with 5 and 6, the date has been set as October 31. Further, for registration number ending with 7 and 8, the deadline is November 31 and for those ending with 9 and 0, the deadline is December 31.

Once respective deadlines end, a fine will be imposed in the range of ₹5,000 or ₹10,000 under the Motor Vehicles Act on these vehicles without having an HSRP affixed to them.

The high-security registration plates come in aluminium and are laser encoded, which is easy to be scanned and difficult to be tampered with or replaced as it comes with a non-removable snap-lock. These HSRPs have a unified font and style, also making them easy to read and understand.

The HSRP comes with details such as engine number and chassis number in a central database. This, along with a 10-digit PIN or laser code - helps in identifying a stolen car, if need be.

To book an HSRP for their vehicles, owners can use online portal authorized by the manufacturers ans make payment there to maintain the transparency and to prevent excess charging from the vehicle owners.

(with inputs from PTI)