The new vehicle owners are forced to wait for the high security number plates as the company entrusted with the task is unable to install the plates on time. The State Government had appointed the link Utsav Auto systems private limited for providing the new high security number plates for the vehicles.
The vehicle owners have to wait for one month to eight months in different transport offices of the state for the number plates. In the Regional Transport Office (RTO), Dehradun the pendancy of number plates has reached more than 5000.
For the number plates of two wheelers the owners have to deposit a fee of Rs240 while the fee for four wheelers is Rs440.
To avoid problems to the vehicle owners the RTO office has decided to release the Registration Certificate (RC) of the new vehicles without the number plates. Usually the RC is released after the number plate is installed in the vehicle.
The department levies a penalty of 5 percent of the registration fees if the vehicle owner registers the vehicle after one week with the RTO and the penalty rises to 10 percent if the delay is of one month of purchasing the vehicle. Though the vehicle owners are relieved by the RTO’s directive of issuing RC without number plates people are facing problems and could be seen arguing with the RTO officials on the issue of delay of number plates.
When contacted the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) of Dehradun, Dinesh Chandra Pathoi said that the office has given written complaints to the transport directorate on the delay in the installation of high security number plates. The transport department has issued 45 notices to the company concerned for expediting the installation of plates but the problem persists.
To bring uniformity and impeccable security of the vehicles the government of India had made it compulsory to install the high security number plates. The GOI had acted on the orders of Supreme Court which directed it on the issue while hearing a petition of Manjinder Singh Bitta
