Only 36 lakh of 2 crore vehicles have switched for HSRP so far, fines to be levied after May

BENGALURU: Despite several deadline extensions, vehicle owners don’t seem to be inclined to switching to High Security Registration Plates (HSRP). The deadline, which was extended for the third time, is drawing close but not even 20 per cent of vehicles have changed to HSRP so far.

C Mallikarjun, Additional Commissioner, Transport Department, speaking about the poor response of vehicles, said, “There are a total of two crore vehicles in the state, but only 36 lakh vehicles, which means 18 per cent of the vehicles have obtained the HSRP. About 1.64 crore vehicles are yet to get the new plates”.

The RTO officials are planning to write a letter to the government regarding this, as the third deadline expires on May 31, the officer said.

If HSRP number plates are not fixed by May 31, the department will start imposing penalties on vehicle owner. A fine of Rs 500 will be imposed for the first offence and it will be doubled the second time. Subsequently, vehicle owners will be fined Rs 1,000 every time they are caught,  Mallikarjun added.

The official further said, “In 2019, the central government implemented the HSRP policy to curb the menace of fake number plates. So, vehicles sold after April 1, 2019 compulsorilly have HSRP. The Centre had also directed the respective states to take measures to implement the HSRP rule for vehicles purchased prior to 2019. The state Transport Department issued a notification in August last year directing older vehicles to switch to HSRP by November 17, 2023, which was extended to February 2024 and again to May. Vehicle owners should not be negligent about this and should get the HSRP fixed as soon as possible”.