Vehicles in India Getting High-Security Registration Plate
Every motor vehicle in India is tagged with a registration plate at the front and back of the vehicle. The registration plate is also termed as the number plate, which contains the license number (or registration number) of the vehicle. The license number contains 10 characters comprising of unique alphabets and numbers. The number plate is issued by the RTO office of the respective states where the vehicle has been purchased. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways recently notified the amendment made in the Central Motor Vehicle Rules 1989 making the affixation of high-security number plates mandatory for all vehicles that are manufactured after April 1st, 2019.
What is a High-Security Number Plate and How Will it be Affixed?
A high-security registration plate is a highly secured version of the normal registration plate introduced to replace the old number plates. It is made with aluminium with a chromium-based hologram of size 20mm x 20mm which will be hot stamped on the top-left corner of the plate. The hologram will also feature an Ashok Chakra in a blue color. At the bottom left corner, the 7 digits permanent identification number of font size 5mm will be etched with lasers. The letters and numbers will be applied with a hot stamping film. The word “INDIA” will be inscribed on the film. Additional Stickers and adhesive labels will not be permitted to be pasted on the plate. The plates have to be affixed on the vehicle with at least two non-removable snap lock fitting system to prevent re-use or theft or tampering.
Besides sticking the registration plate at the front and bottom of the vehicle, a third registration plate also called as the registration mark in the form of a chromium-based hologram sticker has to be affixed on the left-hand top side of the windshield of the vehicle. The registration mark will contain details like registration number, name of the registering authority, PIN, and engine and chassis numbers.
Who Will Issue the High-Security Registration Plates?
Both the registration plates and the third registration mark will be issued and re-issued by the concerned registration authority or approved dealers of the manufacturer. The government could also appoint third-party authorized vendors to issue high-security registration plates. High-security number plates online registration is also being provided by the transport departments of many states in India. For any queries for applying for a high-security registration number in a state, the respective high-security number plate helpline team of the concerned transport department can be contacted.
The high-security registration plates will be first affixed on the vehicle and then the registration number will be carved on it. After the registration number is being carved, they will go through thorough scrutiny by the concerned RTO inspectors. After the scrutiny, the RTO inspector will affix the approval stamp and then dispatch the RC book to the owner.
Why This Step Has Been Taken by The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways?
In India, the number of thefts of motor vehicles has been on a rise in recent times. Earlier RTO number plates were easy to be removed and tampered with. As a result, it becomes very difficult to locate lost and stolen vehicles. The high-security registration plates cannot be tampered with by any mean and will help a great deal in curbing vehicle thefts. Moreover, high-security registration plates will ensure and maintain uniformity in the pattern and style of registration plates of vehicles throughout the country.
Can Vehicles Manufactured Before 1st April can Opt for High-Security Registration Plates?
Owners of vehicles purchased prior to 1st April 2019 can also opt for obtaining a High-Security Registration Plate. But before that, the old registration plates have to be surrendered and destroyed. They can get it issued by state-appointed authorized vendors. It has also been reported that since the old registration plates will be completely dismantled, the old vehicles have to apply for registration again to receive the new registration plates. But the finalization of the procedure of issuing new registration plates to old vehicles has been kept on hold due to the Lok Sabha elections 2019. Now that the elections are over, a decision on the same could be expected from the Ministry anytime soon.
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