Odisha Government May Be Slow To Enforce HSRP
Odisha Government May Be Slow To Enforce HSRP
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Bhubaneswar: The State Transport Authority (STA) in Odisha has been instructed to make sure that no one is harassed when having their high-security registration plate (HSRP) fitted. It is expected to determine the number of outdated vehicles, the manufacturing capacity of HSRPs, and then revise the deadline for number plate affixation.
Despite the same deadlines being extended by a month, vehicle owners in the state have been having issues with online registration. They are unable to secure slots within the allocated period. Rural residents are also having issues because it is difficult to find fixing centres and online booking services.
According to a TNIE report, the Transport Commissioner has been given the duty of compiling a database of old vehicles, determining the ability of manufacturers to prepare and install HSRP in a day, and estimating the time needed to install HSRP in all such vehicles.
Around 50 lakh vehicles registered before April 1, 2019, are still on the road, according to an earlier STA estimate. Over 23 lakh vehicle owners filed for HSRP between June 1 and September 30, and about 9 lakh had already attached HSRP during that time.
Notably, the Orissa High Court had previously criticised the STA, questioning the justification for establishing deadlines without a proper infrastructure in place, and had decided to monitor the HSRP fitment against online reservations made by vehicle owners after the latter had issued a notification with extended deadlines.
The STA said on September 15 that starting on October 1, anyone who have not installed HSRP on their vehicles with registration numbers ending in 1, 2, 3, or 4 will be subject to fines.
The transport authority decided on September 26 to exempt people who had applied for HSRP online before the deadline but had not yet had it fitted from enforcement checking and the penalty and later extended the deadline for all vehicles by one month as a result of a sudden increase in online bookings for HSRP fitment in Odisha.
