In keeping with its reputation of online activation, Bengaluru Traffic Police puts it’s message regarding number plates online. ‘Defective number plates removed and prosecuted. Use IND plates. No more fancy number plates pls.’ The activity was carried out by Rajajinagr TR PS. Quite simply, if it’s not IND High Security Number Plates (HSNP), you’re using a defective number plate.
Current format of vehicle registration plates are designed as follows – First two letters identify state or Union Territory of vehicle registration. The next two digits denote district. The next bit is a 4 digit unique number. If the 4 digits number sequence is allotted, a letter is prefixed, then two letters, and so on. There’s an international oval ‘IND’ and a chromium based chakra hologram above it on the left.
IND on number plates were introduced as a 2005 amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989. High Security Number Plates (HSNP) feature security measures. They are tamper-proof and use a non-removable snap lock, which isn’t easy to duplicate and trying to break them would destroy them. It is in fact a security measure against theft or misuse by using a fake number plate. The numbers are embossed rather than painted on.
IND High Security Number Plates (HSNP) feature alpha-numeric identification of testing agency and manufacturer. The retro-reflective film bears ‘India’ when seen at a 45-degree inclination. IND High Security Number Plates (HSNP) number plates are available at transport authority authorised outlets. While they were introduced a good many years earlier, implementation hasn’t been smooth. No doubt some states impose fines on older number plates but even this isn’t standard practice.
So, if the question is should you switch to IND High Security Number Plates (HSNP), the answer is yes, at the earliest. It would be judicious to know where to acquire one because painted replicas of IND High Security Number Plates are widely available. Soon enough, NITI Aayog plans to add green colour number plates for electric vehicles (EV).
Only recently, Bangalore cops took to crushing loud Royal Enfield exhausts using a road roller.
