By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 19 Nov: Dehradun residents have received major interim relief regarding High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) as the RTO has put on hold challans for old number plates till the issues are sorted out. The Regional Transport Office (RTO) has also stated that it would issue strict instructions to the dealers. It may be recalled that the problem arose because the option for Uttarakhand is currently not showing on the HSRP portal created by the Central Ministry of Road Transport and Highways for applying for duplicate or replacement number plates for older vehicles (due to damage or loss).
This has caused significant inconvenience to the vehicle owners. Currently the old vehicle owners are unable to replace their plates and they claim that the dealers selling new vehicles are allegedly forcing people to get number plates made at exorbitant prices. A similar incident was brought to the notice of the RTO as well as the media by some youths in Dehradun. These young vehicle owners along with a student leader from DAV College, called on the Dehradun RTO and informed him of the problem. Local youth and social worker Sachin Trivedi stated that his old vehicle’s number plate had become damaged. He was forced to get a replacement number plate from a company showroom, for which the vehicle dealer demanded an exorbitant amount. He filed a complaint with the Dehradun RTO regarding this. In addition, a student union office bearer from DAV College, Dehradun, said that this problem is being faced by many people. They brought the issue to the notice of the Dehradun RTO and demanded that challans should not be issued for old number plates until a solution for duplicate number plates in Uttarakhand is found on the portal.
Responding to the demand from the youth and student union, Dehradun RTO Sandeep Saini has taken action in this regard. He noted in his interaction with the media that the problem faced by the public is genuine, and the Transport Department is working on it. He informed that the Transport Department is setting up a separate portal that will contain clear information regarding the number plate manufacturer. Saini said efforts would be made to also publicly disclose the price for making number plates on this portal. Until this is done, the Dehradun RTO administration has issued directions to its Enforcement Team regarding not issuing challans for number plates. He has also informed the police that if a vehicle owner’s old number plate is damaged or if a replacement cannot be made for some reason, they should not be fined till a permanent solution is worked out. Furthermore, the Dehradun RTO has warned of action against vehicle dealers who are making duplicate number plates at arbitrary prices.
