Kannada license plate numbers on the increase?

I guess Karnataka can be the pioneer here. Can they start standardizing registration plates in Karnataka. THey can design it with a karnataka logo and make it attractive other than printing it all in English and Hindu Arabic Numerals. IF RTOs start selling them then there will be no violations... guess what if some one moves to the state permanently then they have to change the plates to Karnataka plates .. that way everything can be formalized.

 I agree with theposts I have seen some oriya plates and tamil plates too in blore... its time to clean up...

 

agree with the need for nation-wide standards. number plates are not the place for promoting language. they should go for simpler ideas. like simply calling BWSSB neer, BESCOM vidyut, BBMP paalike, BDA pradhikara, BMTC bengaLoor saarige. what i mean is the english names and abbreviations should be dropped. or the english abbreviations must be like BBMP and not like BDA/BWSSB. 12 main 5 cross: ೧೨ ಮುಖ್ಯ, ೫ ಅಡ್ಡ 12 mukhya, 5 adda both in kannada text and transliterated english text. my basic point is everybody should share the burden of cosmopolitanism. thats cool idea santsub. mysore kaaldaari.

The incident referred to by Srivatsa is detailed below: I have repeatedly been writing (letters to editors of leading dailies) about the mis-use of the venerated Kannada language. The following instance highlights the menace graphically.

One evening, towards late February last year, I was just behind a SANTRO ZING at the Egipura junction on the Intermediate ring road (linking Koramangala and Indiranagar). Noticing that the car's number plates were totally (and only) in Kannada, I took a picture, got a print, and sent it (by regd post) to the Police Commissioner, under the RTI act, requesting to know a) why no action has been taken so far to check such open and flagrant violation of the MV act? b) What action is proposed now?

A few weeks later, a Traffic Inspector came over personally to hand over a letter stating that, as per the records, the number KA 02 Z 6934 is registered in the name of the owner of a TOYOTA QUALIS, whereas my picture showed a SANTRO ZING. Very clearly the user of the SANTRO ZING was upto some mischief, to put it just mildly, highlighting the point that I had been making all along, since not even half the police force is able to read the Kannada numerals readily.

Given the callous way in which the police is treating this whole issue, all that a terrorist needs to do today is to steal a car, select a number arbitrarily, make out the plates in Kannada, fix a yellow & red flag for added effect, load it with explosives, and drive it straight into the Vidhan Soudha. He may even be accorded a VVIP status. Plainly the Kannada number plate and the red & yellow flags have become passports to any kind of nefarious activity that you may want to pursue.

Though the Inspector agreed with me readily on the above point of view, the Bangalore Police seem content trying to track just the offending vehicle, as evidenced by the contents of a subsequent letter addressed to me by the then DCP, Traffic (E), the larger issue being totally lost on them. So much so, even over a year after my bringing this grave anomaly to their attention, I see vehicles with just Kannada number plates, written in all kinds of styles, moving about freely on the roads, without any care in the world. Not surprisingly, the Police have not been able to track the specific vehicle either, since very likely the owner has since switched to some other number and is onto some other mischief.

And, when I narrated this experience in a Yahoogroup, of which I am a member, a lady added that half the autos with Kannada number plates have Maharashtra, Tamilnadu or Kerala registration numbers, and she invariably found their meters tampered with. In the first place, these autos have no business to be operating in Karnataka, and on top of it all, they are up to all kinds of nefarious activities.

By turning a blind eye to all these, the Bangalore Police is putting the lives of the law-abiding citizens at grave risk.

Muralidhar Rao

scary. actually, there was newspaper report too sometimeback which said that half the police cannot read kannada numerals.

I have been thinking about this for a while. 

Cant we use some sort of bar code or similar sort of technology which will enable the vehicles to have unique ID numbers and the traffic authorities for that matter can verify instantly the owneship/ model/ make of the vehicle by flashing at the vehicle.

 This can come in very handy and can be used by corporates/ commercial establishments wherin you dont have to put stickers to identify vehicles. Just register your number plate and the security guards will flash at your number plate to identify the vehicle and let go.

Is  it feasible.

 

Singapore uses a similar concept to charge vehicles in congestion zones. I am not sure if it is RFID but looks like it is. Here is a wiki article on that.

I would assume that it might not be cost effective for Indian conditions but it might be given the number of vehicles on road. Somebody needs to do a feasibility study.

-Shastri

but if kannada numerals are tough on human eyes, imagine bar-code!! perhaps, electronics will lead to good enforcement on the police side, but they will still need some sort of number plates, to make it comprehensive.

What I had posted, if you had noticed, was extracted from a letter I had sent to the Lokayukta, requesting him to issue orders to the police to enforce the M V Act strictly. Unfortunately, the office of the Lokayukta, for all its show of meticulousness, misplaced the letter, and even with my pursuing the matter using RTI, I have not got a proper response. Now, seeing the tremendous response from you all, I am attempting to meet Justice Hegde tomorrow itself. Will keep you all posted of the outcome.

Muralidhar Rao

automated data collection and automated analysis will go a long way. i have a few questions for all this to happen, what is the spatial and temporal resolution needed? and what are the error rates? dont you need data like vehicle xxxx was at (x+dx,y+dy) at t+dt for that to be useful for evidentiary and prosecutional work? lawyers will rip the dx,dy and dt apart. how do you know that the vehicle was at x+dx and not x+x1+dx2? dt: unless fairly small useless for evidenciary purposes. think bikes and autos and cars which are constantly changing lanes. and if dt is too small will it scale computationally? i know rfid is passive, but if you want to track a particular vehicle, then you need to know history before t=0 and after it. even for parking, somewhere there has to be loop right? this has to run for atleast 10-12 hours a day continuously. i am sure somebody or the other will complain, if we using the satellites up for issuing parking tickets. i may be wrong, just wondering if it is possible.

Link license to their vehicle registration. that way violations are recorded and stored - I know its easirer said than done.. but when we are cleaning things up it becomes important to handle that too.... I guess tying this to insurance and when tickets are issued their premiums going up will be another way to bring in discipline among motorists its the fear factor that will help in disciplining which will bring in some harmony to driving... but everything has to loose the corruption bootha! that prevails in our system :)

SubbaNNa, tracking in terms of getting every vehicle's location=f(lat,long,time) is absolutely huge task and as far as I know, plainly impossible. The economics just dont work out. RFID tracking can only be done in terms of having 'monitor points' which record when a vehicle passes by them. So if the trinity circle sensor records 1000 vehicles and the anil kumble one only 500, then the system can send automatic correction code to the kamaraja road junction traffic signal!! And of course can also be used to track vehicles in the sense that you can get the data like / Tracking data for vehicle KA-NN-X-NNNN 01:55:45 AM - Town hall 01:56:55 AM - Sajjan Rao Circle / Isn't that one way and about 2 kms in 1 minute? Catch the moron and send him a notice home!! Or yeah, Sangliana can can be waiting in Sajjan Rao circle munching on a 'parcel' veg puff from VB Bakery! -Shastri

Firstly I would like to add that this discussion is on a meaningful topic. Meaningful because it indeed concerns something that matters to more people in Bengalooru, obviously because of its roads overflowing with traffic. Whereas on an average this doesnt attract as much attention when talked about in a wider spread - entire state of Karnataka, say.

But since we're all generalizing things and looking at the problem from various angles - not to mention the quite so interesting mention of hologram usage on plates and such fancy stuff - I feel a domain-wise generalization is much warranted in this discussion. More so to get a solution after taking a wider perspective into consideration.

Lets look at Bangladesh. Number plates there are entirely in Bangla script - even the numerals i.e. Nepal. There too you'll find all vehicles bearing plates with characters in their own script. And England - they have their own script too on their number plates! But of course, right?!

But, lets return to India - we have nearly 20 official languages in this country, and about as many states - but we have a rule which says the numerals on number plates need to be in English and Roman (for numerals)! All for a rule, that was written when the writer/ruler didnt care to understand the ruled. What a pity, we still want to abide by it, just because its a rule. Just because we dont have enough time to frame our own rules that really match our context.

The USA has a transport authority for each state, and a license issued by one state doesnt hold good for another state. This is with all the (lack of) diversity among their states, mind you! Now with all the diversity that we have in us, look at what we've been doing, and how we are faring!!

The world likes localisation, but we dont! We want everything to be under one common umbrella, all the time. We want one national bird, we want one national flower, we want one national game, and what not? But we claim and want to remain under a decentralised system of governance.

I think it is but meaningful to have number plates in Kannada script (apart from Roman!) in Karnataka. Expecting them to be in Roman only for the meagre percentage of a mishap occuring, and this vehicle being involved in that, is but stupidity, for sure. Taking a long haul from here, it would make a lot of sense if the system geared up for driver education in Kannada inside Karnataka, and made them aware of the real intricacies involved in careful driving. The current English medium of driver instruction is admittedly the culprit of the matter this discussion has been led to - "no safety on road."

Approaching the root of the problem is how we can head towards progress. Not by discussing solutions to issues that are like raktabeejaasuras as read in our mythology!

-Nijavaada

I would like to have my Number plate in Arabic. Can I.. becoz our traffic police are not concerned about it. Have any one played Carmageddon Game ?

Our traffic police is only worried about reaching their targets by EoD.They dont worry about the smoke eminating from autos or buses.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Indian_licence_plates

This is very interesting info..I was aware that there was some move like this but not about the details. I saw such a board few days ago on a bike and thought that guy riding it was a US return and wanted a board to remind of his travels! :P

Any  idea where we can get these plates in blr? Its unfortunate that even new cars or other vehicles being registered are not mandated for using this boards..

We can also take cue from the US having examples like 'sunshine state' for florida and have 'sandalwood state' for Karnataka!

btw we have a standard and thats it..period..no debate on having kannada on the plates!

I don't accept anything without facts and figures. Do you have any proof which says people who know only kannada out-number people who know english?

I didn't say the number plates are used only for emergency. Please read my post again. The idea is for majority of the population to be able to read it, given that vehicles are free to be driven anywhere in the country.

BTW, why are you posting your blogs in english? Why not only in kannada? Same thing applies to me too. I'm passionate about my mother tongue - Kannada. But over here, we are trying to solve issues and it helps if your reach is more. Its a similar case with the plates too.

I think we tend to attach too much of emotion to language. Language is, ultimately, a mode of communication. The sole purpose is to communicate certain information. If the target audience is diverse, then it makes sense to use the language that majority know. No need to attach emotions to it.

On the other hand, each language, over a period of time, has developed artistically in its own rights. A certain artistic descriptions are effective only when made in Kannada than in some other language.

We should learn to differentiate - learn to develop "viveka". 

Indian langauges are far behind its european counterparts when its comes to usage of langauge in technology.With people like above who oppose the use of local langauge in in each and every small things its niether going to happen.

I took a step at doing this - I know it may sound very insane to some - but can our RTOs take a cue and design something>?? This plate here is a special plate to conserve wildlife... in Karnataka but similar concepts on tourism, go green etc can be simulted... My thoughts....

http://www.flickr.com/photos/21318792@N07/2422603283/

but a truely lively and organic city is more than the sum of its parts and transactions on a ledger. A truely lively and organic city is struggling against something and fighting for it. while blr is fighting for its roots, cities like San Fransisco and new york get to fight for all the nice and fashionable causes. make no mistake that is what distinguishes a san fransisco and a new york from an atlanta. it was a struggle that even got atlanta into reckoning to begin with otherwise it was no different from a Charlotte. then it died, and they settled into a stupor. p-lane wide roads they now have but nobody would mention it in the same breath as a san Fransisco or new york. on the other hand, perhaps we can do with a little less of chest beating and thigh slapping, but you have to grant that too much handy wavy everything is OK type of attitude is not good too. in any case, all the verve and impetus now rest with those fighting for something. unless, folks who believe in alternate theories stand up for what they believe in, who is to complain? i for one would love to get it out all in the open. it can only be good for blr and ka. there is some syncretic middle ground out there, unless folks like you stand up for that we will never find it. thanks for your ideas.

Yes Srivathsa, me too. I was going to MG road from Hanumanthnagar on Luna double ride. That itself was happiness after getting promoted from cycle those days. At MG Road,  movie theatres were so cheap, I remember going to a James Bond movie in 89 in Blumoon theatre just for 3 rupees 50 paise. Now the movie theatres, restaurants etc.. have become so expensive and everything is rich man oriented. A common man cannot think of watching  movie in theatre. Most of the things are car orriented and there is no value for money.

Custom plates like you said Mithun is what I was trying to show too.. It can be custom plates like you said - with names of their kids or some phrases that they like or even logos of their business.. but it should be regulated and and will be charged if they want it on the plate other wise they can always put anything on their vehicles except on their number plates :)

This will be great if our state govt can adopt and bring it to force immediately. Infact I have the second pic in my photostream where i corrected the first one with a barcode embedded in to the plate for futuristic scans so that cops can scan your plate and get information :) - may be we can go even more hitech with embedded chips in them - just a thought...

 

very interesting video..sometimes makes me wonder if the folks in blr have anytime made efforts to learn from other places like these..

They talk of 50 mil population we are double that..and the growth rate is much higher than that of Atlanta. But the budjet for infrastructure is a fraction of that for Atlanta.

Also, its about leadership, leadership that can foresee growth and lay out plans for better infrastructure..not, for example, the plan for short sighted 3 stop express train from city to the airport!

Golden quadrilateral is the example of a visionary work..I would also include the current mysore road by Revanna does have some vision..but what do we have more locally? 

Hyped magic underpasses? redundant flyovers from the start of operations? Its all been a hotch potch job!

Wish we bring:

Transperancy to the infrastructure operations. So that we will not need RTI's to ask them about their work.

Community involvement, becos without this all approaches will be useless

Stable group managing infra..govt not seeing this as a corruption source and hence letting the officers a free hand to work  

 

Friends, I believe no one is a frog in a well here. Lets stop calling anybody a frog. The frog in a well is someone who thinks that anything outside his place is hopeless. Somebody who refuses to see the outside world. ONLY his place/region is the best in the world. But we are NOT arguing like that. We are supporting our language in our land. Someone can call us a 'frog in a well' if we say that karnataka is the best in the world; Kannada is the best language; everything else in the world is B.S. Here is a link to the frog story: http://www.taiwandc.org/f... In every place, people have told me that I am insecure about my language -thats why I fight for it. There is a large population in Bangalore who want to continue to enjoy the 'cosmopolitain feel'. Probably they also have an insecurity that these pro-kannada movements will take away their cosmopolitain feeling. that may be one of the reasons for resistance. These are just my own thoughts; no personal comments against anybody in this site including Sri.

Santsub, on a very very light note: This template looks lik a ctrl+C and ctrl+V of a US number plate - a very good one though!

1) What is the problem in adding kannada numbers along with English? Is it a problem?you have not aswered it.Instead you have asked how will it contribute to kannada.

You are trying to mix up issue instead of answering to the question asked.

And comming to your point,Small small thing does matter a lot. European countries/america takes clue of such small things and this way they have built a efficient system. If karnataka wants kannada numbers instead of roman numerals it is not a sin,expecting other wise is a wrong.But here we are proposing for dual langauge system.But your opposition makes me sense that you oppose everything associated to kannada.Thank god tht population of people thinking like this are extreamly low in numbers.if not we should destroyed all our ancient literaure/modern literature and started reading english novels only.

2) You told that karnataka lacks in many things compared to its other southern counterparts.partly true and partly false. Every one in the country knows how tamilnaDu has been extreamly advantageous because of its regionalistic stands.Where as karnataka failed severly especially in railways because we never had a regionalistic view point.we had four railways ministers yet what is the achievment.Britishers had laid 2600 kms of railways,what has karnataka got after independence - 1300 kms of railway length?See its counterpart tamilnaDu has see what has it achieved having a strong regionalistic view.Even andhrapradesh has seen a sea of changes because of TDP.You have to be really a frog in the well to ignore this.

3) you talk about kannada name plates in busses? whats the actuall issue in it.Karnataka was framed based on linguistic basis.If karnataka does not encourage kannada who will do it? Korea or japan,how foolish.Karnataka has tried to be soft on many issues with respct to other langauges.Its only because of recent immigrant attitudes which has forced karnataka people to act strong.First try to analyse why people are changing in first place.Its not a overnight phenomenon.

4) You said that people do not have proper manners in road,so who is avoiding that?why mix issues and mix it with langauge here. Do you think driving in hyderabad/bhuvaneshwar/patna/lucknow is any better?Its a common phenomenon everywhere in india.Don't try to characterise kannadigas into this.I do not care what kind of kannadiga you are,but stop generailzing things.

5) you said that people demand later release of films for 6 months,again who were asking for it.kannada film fraternity and not all kannadigas. Infact many people opposed that.IF all kannadigas had said that it would have become another thing.You can't term sikhs as terrorist just because bhindranwala thinks like that.so how do say that all kannadigas were represented by KFI?

6) talk disparagingly of another language - who doesn't do? South indians are still ridiculed as madrasis,lungi wals etc etc.tamilians have a deep hatred for hindi.keralites tease all other langauge conterparts?Bengal is hatedlike anything in UP and bihar. So who is better in india?But inspite of all this you want to pin point kannadigas?why don't you generailise this behaviour to whole of India?Kannadigas on other hand have supported many langauges.No state in india sees 7-8 langauge films release on a continous basis.Why did you not see that.Karnataka is fore front in leading hindustani music.Overlooking such good points and looking for small mistakes is a sign of loosers.Tell me why does kannada people do not have a problem with either kerala or andhrapradesh.

a small note,

Last year karnataka agreed to sign projects worth 50000 crores.There was a condition from karnataka government pn issue of local employment. You have not seen north karnataka people are suffering.Now such policies definatly helps us.This is where regionalism adds a economic value.

I am sorry to say this,you are trying to preach that usage of kannada in such things to be discouraged. I like english,but that does not stop me in introducing my langauge to various fields.If you still think that i am a frog in well,i am sorry i can't help it out.

 

Mithun - crtl+C and crtl+V alla - It was done from scratch - well it was just a take not that we cant make it look Indian - my take is adopt anything that is nice... It is definitely an inspiration from the US. Isnt everything an inspiration from somewhere or the other?? Thanks for the compliment :) - I just did this in 15 mins - designing a plate can be as bizzarre as designing anything else.. well we can change it to make it authentically Indian :)

On a lighter note - even white house was inspired by TajMahal :) - thats written there in DC :)

Sarvagna Sir!

Chikka plate design maadidaga - banna, haagu karnatakada chinhe yannu alavadisi - bekiruva ella vishayagalannu kannige kaauvante srishtisabahudu.

 

- This was just my take in a hurry will design some more which will be for 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers and post it here.. But this is just my thought - if RTO in Karnataka can adopt it I will be glad to design them seriously - for social cause.

This was just my take in a hurry will design some more which will be for 2 wheelers and 4 wheelers and post it here.. But this is just my thought - if RTO in Karnataka can adopt it I will be glad to design them seriously - for social cause

Don't worry about RTO,lets design it.Atleast there will be some fun while desigining.

Guys, I think we need to consider other realities like: If we enforce too much of kannada in anything related to Government or state, the districts of Kodagu, mangalore, Karwar, Belgaum, Raichur will not accept kannada dominance. in this case, if it is implemented to put too much kannada in number plate, these districts will not give acceptance. Remember what happened with City renaming in mangalore and Belgaum? probably something which identifies the state wont find opposition. The way we resist Hindi, many people in these districts would resist kannada.

what u mean is right, sir!

When you observe nameplates,it generally defers from vehicle to vehicle.Car nameplates are bit smaller in size.

 So the design could vary from vehicle to vehicle.Also if at all in future RTo attempts this feature they could also implement the Bar code system in a single go.This way they can create a efficient system.They can change the whole system from paper to E-aministration collecting complete information of all vehicles in karnataka.

 

 

Thats what I was intending to show too :) - if you had clicked on the photostream - you can see that there is a second plate that I put there with a barcode in the center... I ams till working on the new ones will post them here soon.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Cities/Bangalore/Kannada-number-plates-must-for-govt-vehicles/articleshow/4273529.cms

 

http://mygrapa.blogspot.com/2009/04/government-clarification-on-kannada.html

 

 

Hi All,

I think that majority of the people using Kannada registration  plates are not doing so for the love of the language, (and even if they did, this is not a way to propagate or display ones love for the language). I have seen even sometimes a TN or Maha registered cars,  many autos and 2 wheelers have their registration plates in kannada. The reason is simple. The owners of these vehicles wanted an easy escape in the case of an accident or a traffic violation and they do that in the shadow of the 'love for the language'. Its high time the RTO strictly enforces the law, where every one follows a uniform size, font and ensure English letters an numerals displayed in the registration plates. (this must be applied through out India). While there is no harm in displaying an extra registration info in Kannada or any other regional language, its very important that English registration details are easily visible.

Thanks,
Sathya

Offenders are on black Pulsar motorcycle. Their vehicles bear Kannada registration number plate - check this report on TOI.

I expect the 'Kannada number plate' will be a standard feature of all vehicles involved in similar offences. By not enforcing the Motor Vehicles Act in this regard, can not the officials concerned in effect be said to be acquiescing in the offences?
 

Received the copy of a letter addressed to the Addl Commr, Traffic, by the City Police Commissioner, directing him to respond to my 'appeal', pointing out the lack of response from the Addl Commissioner, Traffic. My appeal was posted on 19/05; the response was dated 31/05, posted on 5/06, recd on 7/06.

There's no response yet from the Addl Commissioner, Traffic.


 

Finally, the office of the Addl Commr Traffic woke up, and the DCP, Traffic (W) sent me a letter (in Kannada, of course) saying in essence that the enforcement of the M V Act in respect of display of number plates is the duty of the Transport Department. Of course, I have my serious doubts about the veracity of that interpretation, and that's what I have sought clarification on from the Information Commission, through an appeal, which will see the light of day perhaps in the new year, given the pile up of backlogs there (check this).

Well, for whatever it's worth, I raised a query with the Transport Department, and they sent a response (again in Kannada) detailing how to display the number plates. Nowhere does it allow for exclusive display in Kannada.
 

Krishnaraja says, “I sensed trouble and called the police control room. A lady officer answered and said that someone would be sent to the spot immediately. “She also asked me to note down the registration number of the autos. While I was trying to note down the numbers, the drivers started hitting me. Somehow, I managed to flee.”

Krishnaraja waited 100 metres away from the auto stand for the police personnel to turn up. “The auto drivers were looking at me repeatedly and discussing amongst themselves. After a few minutes, each one vanished from the scene. From the distance, I was unable to note down the numbers. “The police arrived a few minutes later, but could do little as I did not have the auto numbers. They questioned people in the vicinity, who said they neither knew the auto-drivers nor noted the registration numbers, before advising me to register a complaint,” he says.

For the full report in the TOI, click here

Situations are such that it is difficult to note down even a properly displayed registration number. Added to the problem is the refusal of the concerned authorities to enforce the M V Act in this regard, leading to even police personnel going around on mobikes having number boards in Kannada alone, and in all kinds of stylings. So, where does the auto-PIN come in, one wonders.
                     
 

Apparently, a notice from the Information Commissioner's office, pursuant to my appeal in the matter, has now woken up the Police Commissioner's office. The hearing should happen soon.

Meanwhile, there are any number of police bikes going around with number plates just in Kannada. If anyone notices one, please take a picture and put it up here.

Not booking cases alone. RTO should ensure that the number plate as specified as per local laws and regulations before issuing original registration document to owner.

Process would be as follows

1. Owner applies for registration 

2. RTO allocates registration number and issues just a letter to owner with registration number and instructions for number plate painting.

3. Either RTO arranges for number plate or asks owner to arrange number plate in accordance to law and regulation.

4. Owner get its done

5. RTO verifies and issues original registration certificate.

I dont think adding this extra step to registration process will create huge delay.

If owner changes that later, case can be booked. 

Hope this helps

Here's a Cheetah spotted this morning with the front number plate still just in Kannada. On the rear plate, he appears to have added on the alphabets in English and numerals in Arabic recently, though not quite totally in conformity with the requirements under the M V Act.

I'll add a link to this post on the BTP facebook, for whatever it's worth.

I dont know what is preventing these steps like HSRP? What are we waiting for? Maybe status quo is feeding mouths with dark colored money, and the pressure of this lobby is strong. We the people should demand this.

I would like to see petition type feature which we all sign up to & get mailed to the authorities. How about you?

It noted that there were three categories of states and union territories — first those which have implemented the scheme Sikkim, Meghalaya and Goa, second those which initiated the process but could not complete it and third which did not take any step in this regard.

Karnataka fell in the second category as it informed the apex Court that an agreement for implementation of the scheme was signed with the vendor in 2006. The price notification and implementation date has been pending since last 4 years. Since the state govt cancelled the agreement, it was challenged before the Karnataka High court where the matter was still pending, it said.

For the full report in the Deccan Herald, click here.

Apparently, there's a clash between two powerful lobbies, this being a lucrative contract. With the Supreme Court siezed of the matter now, hopefully, the Karnataka High Court will fast track the case, and facilitate implementation of the scheme earliest.

Otherwise a strict traffic rule-follower, he recalls a few incidents where he was compelled to break rules to help the patients. “However, the traffic policemen now recognise me by my vehicle. They know that I won’t flout the rule unless it is an emergency situation. Many policemen have travelled in my vehicle by paying me proper fare,” he chuckles.

For the report on "Samaritan - Auto Raja" in the New Indian Express, click here

However, first and foremost, he's violating the provisions under the M V Act by displaying number plates only in Kannada. The traffic cops, who are turning a blind eye to the rampant violations such as this, need to be hauled for dereliction of duty. And, there are millions of better ways of promoting Kannada.

@ Deepak  -  There is a picture of Mr Raja and his auto in the print version of the story, which apparently doesn't seem to show up in the e-version. The violation is clear in the picture.

 @Murali Sir,

Ok, thanks for the clarification.

 

@Bheema,

That's exactly the point is. And that's what is being suggested at many places by BTP as well.

Deepak

@ Bheema  -  Please see my post of the the 13th April, '08 in this same thread. You'll still maintain the matter is of no great 'weightage' to you?

For all the toughness the earlier Commissioner showed in other matters, in this particular aspect, he can be said to be guilty of the charge of dereliction of duty. And, his deputy, the Addl Commr, Traffic, was only interested in playing a hide and seek game with the Transport Department over the issue.

Can we now hope for the Commissioner to start cracking down on the many other vehicles, particularly autos, going around with impunity with number plates made out only in Kannada?

The report has talked about members of the public repeatedly bringing up this issue. Perhaps, that refers largely to the comments on PRAJA. Well, friends, it shows that sustained campaign does work. So, let's keep at it.

You can read this article to read view from other side

Returning from Mauritius on Monday after a week-long holiday with his family, Yeddyurappa began his press conference with: “I had gone to Mauritius for six days with my children and grandchildren. It’s a beautiful place. They have developed it as a great tourist destination. Bangalore has a great potential for tourism. I’ve spoken to the officials and some of my cabinet colleagues about turning Bangalore into a tourist attraction.’’

For the full report in the ToI, click here.

Now, if a tourist wants to lodge a complaint about a vehicle driver (and the papers are full of reports of instances of tourists having to do so), and the vehicle number plate is made out in Kannada alone (as is the case with a large percentage of vehicles in Bangalore), how is he/ she going to be doing it?

As such, if I were the Ambassador of a country to India, I would advise my government to issue a 'travel advisory' cautioning against travelling to Bangalore as long as the M V Act in this regard is not strictly enforced.

Let's see if the state actually cares for the tourists.

Alexei got down and left with his family. But Manjunath followed them and started shouting at them. “My children were really scared,” the professor told TOI. He then came home and searched for the Mysore police website on the internet and found their Facebook account where he lodged a complaint along with the vehicle registration number.

For the full text of the report in the ToI, click here

While complimenting the Mysore police, the question that arises is, had the registration number plates been totally in Kannada (which in Bengaluru atleast is not at all a rarity, not just on autos, though), what would have been the plight of Prof Alexei?

When are the traffic cops going to be enforcing the M V Act in this regard, strictly? Or, do we have to ask the court to direct them to do it?

Bhashabhimana cannot be any excuse for intentional-mostly criminal like avoiding identification in fare gouging by autos, hit & run or chain snatching, wheelies etc- transgression of cmv act. reflecting, italics, micro or worn out lettering, missing front/rear number plates also top  the list. Much of the violations can be controlled by presuming guilt and merciless exemplary punishment.

Constable G Srinivasu was on his usual rounds when he noticed the Scorpio SUV with a suspicious numberplate bearing KA 04-S-5515. Srinivasu knew that the 'S' series is normally not allotted by the transport department to four-wheelers but to two-wheelers. As he stopped the vehicle, Dinesh, the driver, pleaded with him to spare him. The constable took Dinesh to the police station. He told police that the documents were missing from the vehicle. But slowly Dinesh opened up and confessed that the actual number of the vehicle was AP 04-S 5515 (In AP, the series is different). Soon police found that they had stumbled on a murder case.

For the full report in the ToI, click here

The significance of having number plates made out strictly in accordance with the M V Act shows out clearly here. If the number plates were made out in Kannada or Telugu, no Srinivasu or anybody would have had any room for suspicion, and the murder case would have remained unresolved.

Need anybody say anything more in the matter?

The following was the response I received from Ramani Panchapakesan to the above post, through ToI:

I am glad you brought out this illegality of writing number plates in regional languages. It is seen in quite a few states. Police simply ignore such illegalities because, in most of the cases, the said vehicles belong to the irresponsible political big-wigs or their chelas. If governments do not take action against such vehicles and impound them, then public, civil society and NGO's should take up this issue and bring them to book. Please farward your letter and my response to as many people as possible.

RP is just an active citizen, as far as I know. I thought the comments very relevant, and decided to post it.

I am  back in Praja after a long time!

With the kind of things going on, one more problem- a serious one at that ,is already added on our roads with kannada license plates. It's simply against Traffic rules and a misplaced emotion in a wrong place! This is a serious medico-legal issue fraght with dangers not to speak of further misuse with vested interest. This should be stopped immediately by traffic police / police commissioner.

With the extended deadline for cab drivers to fix display cards on their vehicles over, traffic police have launched a crackdown on those who have refused to fall in line. Till date, only 33,000 of 2 lakh cabs and private passenger vehicles are carrying display cards with personal details of drivers. “We planned the display card system on the lines of the one in place for autorickshaws. The measure was taken in the wake of the gang rape incident in Delhi. We thought the cards would provide safety to passengers and make the drivers accountable,” said additional commissioner of police (traffic) MA Saleem.

For the full report in the ToI, click here.

All very fine. But, why isn't Dr Saleem showing similar keenness in enforcing the provisions of the M V Act with regard to display of registration number plates, even with it being the primary ID criterion for any vehicle, and even with the Commissioner himself having submitted in writing that the law in this regard will be enforced strictly (pursuant to an RTI exercise - check here)?

I am afraid if this lackadaisical attitude continues, I'll have to take up the matter with the LokAyukta. In fact, I had visited the LokAyukta office, to check out on jurisdictional issues, and after getting confirmation that I was on the right track, am now poised to lodge a formal complaint. I was the one who had nominated Dr Saleem for the Namma Bengaluru award this year, for setting up the unique TAC, apart from other initiatives (check this - others may have nominated him too), which he incidentally won*. Unfortunately, it looks like I am now having to lodge a complaint against his office (and perhaps, the Commissioner's) too, since otherwise I see myself as failing in my duty as a citizen.

The irony of it all shows out in the picture (below) that I clicked while stepping out of the LokAyukta office.

PS: * My last year's nominee, Dr U V Singh, IFS, won the award too - check this.

With autorickshaw drivers coming under the scanner in the wake of alleged abduction and rape of a medical student in Manipal on Thursday last, Udupi district police plans to implement the Auto Rickshaw Drivers' Display System (ADDS). Bangalore traffic police implemented ADDS in 2006, after the gang-rape of a woman by miscreants in an auto on the Jnanabharathi campus. - - - - When TOI contacted Bangalore assistant commissioner of police (ACP) MA Saleem, he said the system will be made compulsory for taxi and call centre vehicles from September 1. "Police have personal data of over 1 lakh auto drivers. This is mainly to help the commuter identify the auto and the driver in case of harassment or demands of excess fare," he added.

For the full report in the ToI, click here.

But, even as the focus is on ADDS, there seems to be a totally lackadaisical approach to the problem of the more readily visible and universally recognised identifying feature, viz the number plate, being displayed just in Kannada in a sizable section of the city's vehicles, making for increased difficulty in detection in incidents like the one that occured in Manipal.

Whenever the matter came up again at the recent TAC meeting, all that the AddlCP (Traffic) had to say was that the HSRP will be soon in place, and with that the entire problem will get resolved. But, from a reading of the following extracts from a ToI report on the subject, yesterday (click here for the full report), one gets a feel that we are still a long way from a solution:

Tenders for technical bidding were floated on June 13 on a national scale to finalize vendors who will manufacture and sell the plates to state transport departments. This will be followed by financial bidding and a notification making HSNPs mandatory. - - - Maruthi Sambrani, joint commissioner (enforcement and HSNP) told TOI, “All vehicles which are registered after the notification is out will automatically get security number plates, but old vehicles will have to get new plates. But there’s some time before notifications are issued by the Centre and state on this.” - - - - Sources said that until last week, advocates flew in from Delhi to argue cases on this.

Meanwhile, the city's women population would perhaps be better off avoiding auto's, taxi's and other vehicles with such defective number plates.

Vehicles with number plates other than in English can be difficult to identify in case of criminal or hit-and-run cases. Hence, atleast the Numbers should be written in English format.

India has (I think) more than 50 languages, and one must know that Kannada is spoken only in Karnataka, and outsiders will not understand what is written instantly, even those who are keen in learning the local language. (details can be discussed in another blog, if possible). So, writing number plates in English is appropriate, I suppose.

The only way for solving the problem is to have authorized parties to distribute the registration plate and have the vehicle owners use those only. Technology can be easily employed at these authorized centers to churn out registration plates; and by technology i mean 3-D printers. If a Texas company can make a metal gun using these #-D printers ( http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/08/tech/innovation/3d-printed-metal-gun/ ) then why not a registration plate?

This is pretty much how the US distributes registration plates to the motorists- use approved DMV license plates END OF STORY. PERIOD.

Ruffians driving autorickshaws in the city seem to be ingenious enough to circumvent every new measure police are putting in place to regulate the drivers.- - - Traffic police recently made the display cards 'foolproof' giving them a unique pattern code. But with most drivers not having any display card, the effectiveness of the programme itself is under question.

Additional commissioner of police (traffic) B Dayananda said any mismatch between an auto-rickshaw driver and the details on the display card is a grave offence. "We will ask our policemen manning prepaid auto stands to look at such deviations," he added.

For the full text of the report in the ToI, click here.

Far more important than enforcement of the display card, one would think is the enforcement of display of vehicle registration number plates (a universal and readily distinguishable feature) as per M V Act, ie in English letterings and Arabic numerals (and not in Kannada alone, as is the rampant malpractice, particularly amongst auto's). But, inspite of bringing up the matter repeatedly (check here), even going to the extent of getting an Adll Commissioner level police official to admit before the Information Commission that it was part of his department's job (check here), the enforcement is seen to be pretty slack.
 
What is holding back the Police apparently is the fear of reprisal from language chauvinists. But, is that acceptable, particularly when it can pose a serious security threat, apart from posing regular traffic rules violation and L & O issues?

A senior officer said policemen often lost their name tags while on duty, but this was the first time someone had sent it back by post.

The officer suspected that the person who sent it had perhaps been in a situation where he wanted to know the name of a cop, but couldn't read it. The man said in his letter that most people in Bengaluru didn't know Kannada, so it would make sense to have the tags in both languages.

The message has apparently hit home. Soon after this, Megharikh issued an order across the commissionerate, making it mandatory for name tags to be written in English as well as Kannada.

It may be recalled that a similar debate took place about a decade ago when number plates of vehicles used by some government officials and police officers were written in Kannada.

The IMV Act clearly states that the number plate be written in English alone, but people would still use Kannada number plates.

The police now claim that 98 per cent of all vehicles follow this rule.

For the full text (emphasis added by me) of the report in the ToI, click here.

Most commendable on the part of the Commissioner to issue orders making it mandatory for name tags to be written in English too, unmindful of the expected backlash from the language chauvinists. There are enough ways to propagating (proathsahana/ uddara maaduvadu) the language, a fine example being the one pursued by Raghu Dixit - check here.

And, indeed, quite as the Commissioner has stated, you don't see too many vehicles these days with number plates just in Kannada. But, for all of that, the traffic police themselves should be setting better examples that seen in the pictures below:

Strictly speaking, the main number plates should have numerals and text only in Arabic (as it's strangely known), and English, respectively. You can make out additional number-plates whichever way you want. Besides, whichever way you look at it, the way the 'Cheetah' number-plates are written, are far from satisfactory.