CHENNAI: More than four years after mandatory high-security registration plates (HSRP) for all new vehicles came into effect in the country, consumer activists pointed out a serious flaw in the HSRP supplied by manufacturers or dealers that does not conform to the specifications of the Central Motor Vehicle Rule.

However, the state transport department officials said that the vehicle manufacturers or dealers are following the pattern provided by the centre for the HSRP and the state has no role in it except for enforcing it.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MORTH) has made it mandatory from April 1, 2019, that HSRP will be supplied by the vehicle manufacturers along with the vehicles to their dealers and the dealers shall place a mark of registration on such plates and affix them in the vehicle before these are moved out of the showrooms.

In the complaint to the secretary of the MORTH, Coimbatore Consumer Cause secretary K Kathirmathiyon said, "We found that the registration pate supplied by manufacturers/dealers does not conform to the specification of Central Motor Vehicle Rule."

"As per CMVR 50 (3), the registration mark shall be exhibited in two lines, the State code and registering authority code forming the first line and the rest forming the second line, one below the other. But the HSRP supplied are against the Rules. The first line along with the State Code and Registering authority code and one letter (out of Two) of the serial is provided. The second line starts with the alphabet followed by numbers. This is confusing and against the Rules, " he wrote.

Citing no action was taken on his earlier representation in this regard, he noted that the vehicle owners, who have no role in it, could be penalised by the police and transport officials for not conforming to the CMVR. He added that across the country, the HSRP are being supplied only by the manufacturer or dealers and all those two-line number plates are not in conformity with the CMVR.

He demanded that all such HSRP number plates should be replaced by the manufacturers at their own cost and to ensure conformity with CMVR in the future.