The Pune regional transport office (RTO) has started an online portal to allow owners of vehicles registered before April 1, 2019, to apply for high-security registration plates (HSRP), officials said on Thursday.

"The portal was now live and active. One could log-in to 'mhhsrp.com' and follow a simple process. Once logged in, a form consists of information such as the vehicle registration number, chassis number, engine number and mobile number, needed to be filled. After that, one has to pay the fees depending on their vehicle and the booking for the HSRP will be completed," an RTO official said.

Kondhwa resident Manav Sinha tried to open the portal but couldn't complete the process. "After filling out all details, when I clicked, a message popped up that the system couldn't retrieve my vehicle details from Vahan and I should try later. I tried 2-3 times, but the same message appeared," he told TOI.

Reacting to this, Pune deputy RTO Swapnil Bhosle said, "If the number has changed, then first they need to update their number and then try. Also, the chassis number and engine number consist of many digits and letters and hence one should be careful while filling them."

As per the officials, the high-security number plate would take a maximum of a week to be manufactured. "Once the appointment is made, the vehicle owner has six months to change to HSRPs and during this time, they can reschedule their appointments too. However, after six months, the HSRP will be destroyed. Afterwards, the process would have to be done again," the official underlined.

In an earlier conversation, Pune RTO Archana Gaikwad said in Pune, a total of 24,28,589 vehicles would have to switch to the HSRPs. Any vehicle registered before April 1, 2019, would compulsorily need the HSRPs by March 31 next year. The fee for two-wheelers and tractors stands at INR 450, for three-wheelers it is INR 500 and for light motor vehicles (LMV), cars, medium and heavy commercial vehicles, and trailers, the owner needed to pay INR 745.