Driving a car with a paper-printed temporary registration number has been made an offence by the Union Ministry of Road Transport Highways (MoRTH). The new rule is consequent on the revision of the Central Motor Vehicle Rules to curb fraudulent activities.
At present, vehicles sporting such paper-printed temporary registration numbers ply the road for weeks. Many who reserve fancy numbers drive vehicles sporting these temporary registrations till the auction is completed.
Law-enforcing agencies’ cameras equipped with number plate reading facility find it difficult to read them. The numbers, written on paper, are not clear and the paper can be easily removed in case the vehicle is involved in a crime.
Specifications
The MoRTH has notified a colour code norm for the registration of 11 categories of motor vehicles. Henceforth, a temporary registration plate in a motor vehicle should have red letters/numerals on a yellow background. Vehicles used by automobile dealers should have plates with white letters and red background. Electric vehicles can continue to use the yellow letters/numbers on a green background.
Besides the English letters and Arabic numerals, a registration plate should not have any other characters or logos. Number plates with regional languages cannot be used. Even fancy numbers will have to comply with the new norms. The MoRTH has told States that no new vehicle should be registered without the integration of the high-security registration plate with the VAHAN database.
