Supreme Court on Tuesday set a three-month deadline for the Centre and the state governments to implement high security registration plates (HSRPs), removing all ambiguity about the mandatory nature of its earlier order on the issue.
The SC had on May 8, 2008, given governments six months to implement the HSRPs ... However, most of the states, ... have not implemented it. ... The development means that the state governments will soon be getting after the motor vehicle owners to switch to the HSRPs in order to carry out the order.
The court ... dismissed challenges to the scheme holding it to be in public interest. The HSRP can track down stolen vehicles through satellite monitoring ... with a security chip, thus preventing the misuse of such vehicles in crimes. "Use of stolen vehicles in crimes, especially terrorism related offences, are increasing steadily and this can be controlled to a large extent by implementation of the HSRP,'' the court had said earlier.
For the full report, click on:
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/SC-grants-three-months-to-implement-high-security-registration-plates/articleshow/4488008.cms
I have from long been contemplating filing a PIL for enforcement of compliance with the provisions of the M V Act in this regard. In fact, my post at http://praja.in/discuss/2008/04/kannada-license-plate-numbers-increase#comment-2857 was extracted from my petition to Lok Ayukta after failing to get satisfactory responses from Addl Commr, Traffic, Transport Commissioner, as well as the Police Commissioner to each of whom I had represented at various stages. I expect the S C order will now obviate my having to pursue that line.
Muralidhar Rao
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finally, some movement
Slamming vehicle owners who distort the way registration plates are displayed, transport commissioner, Bhaskar Rao, told The Times of India that the use of high-security registration plates would be made mandatory soon, with the process of converting the number plates set to begin shortly.
For the full report in the TOI, click here
update on HSRP plates
The Supreme Court on Thursday left no option for the Centre and states but to speedily implement policy for installation of high security registration plates (HSRP) in 9 crore vehicles. The Bench slammed the states for their lethargy in implementing the court’s 2008 judgment upholding the Centre’s 2001 notification on mandatory HSRPs for vehicles.
Writing the judgment for the Bench, Justice Kumar said the executive must implement the court’s order within the stipulated time, especially when the issue concerned safety of citizens, which was of paramount interest for the governments. It lamented non-implementation of the May 8, 2008 judgment and issued contempt notices to the transport secretaries of Delhi, Punjab and Uttar Pradesh.
For the full report in the ToI, click here
Is the Karnataka government going to act now atleast, or wait till it too receives the contempt notice?
I don't understand why govt doesn't want to implement such good
I really don't understand why govt delays all such good moves, either about this high security plates or lok-pal bill or whatever which deals with common man problems. The bills regarding their pay and their own goods gets passed within minutes.
Such a good practice
lurking danger
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.
For the full report in the ToI, click here.
From a reading of the above, it doesn't look like it's going to happen any time soon, even as that's the excuse being conveniently bandied about by the AddlCP (Traffic), if the defective number plates issue (displayed in Kannada only) is raised with him. The recent Manipal gangrape incident once again highlights the importance of proper display (as per M V Act) of this readily visible and universally recognised identifying feature, viz the number plate, without having to wait indefinitely for the courts to decide on the HSRP issue. One hopes better sense prevails with the officialdom.