Crackdown on faulty number plates begins

Traffic ACP chases two-wheeler with a concealed registration number; seizes vehicle on Devaraj Urs Road

Mysore/Mysuru: The City Traffic Police have launched a crackdown on vehicle owners using defective, decorative or illegal number plates.

This enforcement drive, which began on Oct. 1, has been authorised by City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth and is under the supervision of Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs) M. Muthuraj and S. Janhavi.

It is part of a comprehensive strategy to curb crime in the run-up to Dasara, as some vehicles have affixed stickers on their number plates to evade identification and detection.

During the operation last evening, ACP (Traffic) Parashuramappa seized a two-wheeler with a faulty number plate. The incident occurred around 6 pm near Jayachamaraja Wadiyar Circle (formerly known as Hardinge Circle) when he spotted a two-wheeler with a concealed number plate.

The rider had pasted a sticker on the registration plate of his Hero Honda bike and was speeding. The ACP signalled the rider to stop, but he sped away. A chase ensued and the two-wheeler was eventually apprehended on Devaraj Urs Road. The rider was later identified as Purushottam from Naguvanahalli village in Srirangapatna.

ACP Parashuramappa confirmed that the bike had been seized, and a case had been registered. He explained that the drive aims to confiscate vehicles with fake number plates and licence plates featuring designs and artwork. Altering number plates is a violation as they become nearly undetectable even by high-resolution cameras, allowing vehicles to escape after committing a crime.

The size and format of registration marks and numerals on number plates must adhere to Central Motor Vehicles Rules. Registration marks should be in English letters, with figures in Arabic numerals, he said.

Several of the questionable plates featured numbers written in vernacular scripts or styled in fancy fonts that resembled words. Using such fancy number plates is a punishable offence under the provisions of the Central Motor Vehicles Act, resulting in fines. Vendors of car number plates have also been instructed not to create such non-compliant licence boards.

According to Sections 50 and 51 of the Central Motor Vehicles Act of 1989, no names or pictures other than the registration marks of the vehicle should be displayed on number plates. Standardisation of colours, fonts, plate content, font size, and clarity is essential. All numbers should be black on white for non-commercial vehicles, including two-wheelers, while commercial vehicles should have yellow boards with black letters or digits.