MUMBAI: The Maharashtra Transport Commissioner's Office has launched a statewide crackdown on vehicles with fancy number plates and those without High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP), officials said on Wednesday. All Regional Transport Offices (RTOs) have been instructed to conduct a month-long special drive from February 18 to March 15, as per a directive issued on Monday.

An RTO official said vehicles registered after April 1, 2019, and still plying sans mandatory HSRP will be fined Rs 1,000 under section 190(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act.

He said action would also be taken against those vehicles registered before April 1, 2019, for displaying fancy number plates that violate Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules, 1989, especially those bearing names like "Kaka," "Mama," and "Dada."

According to RTO officials, vehicles without HSRP and those showcasing fancy number plates will be fined Rs 1,000.

However, a retired transport department official pointed out that while the transport commissioner's office has instructed action under section 190(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988, penalties for vehicles without HSRP can only be imposed under section 177 of the Act.

He highlighted that section 190(1) of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 deals with punishment for using a vehicle in an unsafe condition that endangers public safety.

The transport department's appeal, which was published a day before, warned vehicle owners to install HSRP by April 30, 2025, to avoid a fine of Rs 1,000 under Rule 50 of CMVR and Section 177 of the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988.

Interestingly, the special drive was launched just a day before the transport department extended the deadline till April 30 from March 31 for installing HSRP on vehicles registered before April 1, 2019, citing low compliance.

"Although the special drive targets new vehicles (registered after April 1, 2019) without HSRP and old vehicles (registered before April 1, 2019) with fancy number plates, the timing suggests it aims to pressurise vehicle owners to fix HSRP, for the benefit of companies authorised to affix them," the retired official claimed.

HSRP plates are made of a rare aluminium alloy and feature a retro-reflective film with the verification inscription 'India,' a chromium-based Ashok Chakra hologram, the hot-stamped letters IND in blue, and a 10-digit laser-engraved serial number, making them tamper-proof.

The Transport Commissioner's Office has appointed three agencies to install HSRP in three zones across Maharashtra.

To get the HSRP plates installed, vehicle owners will need to pay between Rs 531 and Rs 879, including GST, and the cost of snap locks, according to Maharashtra's transport department.

According to the HSRP tender documents, about 2.10 crore vehicles, including 1.62 crore two-wheelers and 33 lakh four-wheelers, were registered in Maharashtra between 2008 and 2019.