Demand for high-security number plates rises in Karnal

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, September 27

With the implementation of the Motor Vehicle Amendment Act 2019, the demand for high-security number plates, gathering dust for the past two to three years in the office of the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) here, has increased.

In the past 26 days, since the implementation of the Act, more than 1,000 number plates have been fixed on vehicles.

The Act provides for affixing high-security number plates on vehicles.

A high-security number plate is an aluminum plate, which has a retro-reflective sheet. A chromium-based hologram is affixed on it. These plates were introduced for preventing duplication of registration plates, besides ensuring uniformity in size, colour and specification of registration plates.

Employees of Link Utsav, a Delhi-based company that was awarded the contract to affix high-security number plates, say 30 to 35 commuters visit their office daily these days as compared with five to six prior to the implementation of the Act.

“More than 7,000 number plates had piled up in the RTA’s office. The number has reduced to 6,000 after the implementation of the Act,” said Jarnail Singh, an employee of the company.

Moreover, about 30 persons having old vehicles are visiting an e-Disha Kendra daily for depositing the fee for the high-security number plates. Earlier, about 10 persons visited the kendra.

About 270 commuters deposited the fee in August, and 550 in the past 26 days.

“A drive launched by the district authorities has made people aware of the new Act. This is the reason the demand for high-security number plates has increased,” said Narinder Malik, Sub-Divisional Magistrate (SDM), Karnal.