Bhubaneswar: The State Transport Authority (STA) in Odisha on Friday launched a special drive against vehicles plying without High Security Registration Plate (HSRP).
According to sources, fine would be slapped on the owners of vehicles plying without HSRP and these will then be seized if they fail to comply after the warning. Such vehicles will attract penalties of Rs 5,000 or Rs 10, 000 under Section 192 of MV Act, 1988.
The RTO officials were seen conducting a massive inspection of the vehicles coming to Bhubaneswar from Khurda on the National Highway. Several buses were also penalised for not complying with other norms, including stage-carriage permits. “We have found vehicles plying with fake registration plates and 17 cases of violation of HSRP rules have been detected in Cuttack alone. The drive will continue for three days,” an official said.
Notably, the deadline for affixation of the HSRP on the old vehicles registered prior to April 1, 2019, carrying Odisha Registration Mark, ended on February 28, 2023. The STA decided to conduct the special drive after some vehicles were seen plying on road without affixing HSRP.
As on June 7, 2023, a total of 40,93,608 vehicle owners have booked slot, out of which HSRP has been affixed in 35,87,577 vehicles. Lalmohan Sethi, Additional Commissioner of Transport (Road Safety & Enforcement), had advised vehicle owners to affix HSRP at the earliest to avoid penalty.
