This high-secuity number plate will be a threat to thieves; will be seen on new vehicles

If you have some recent plans to buy a new car, this can be a good news to you. The Ministry of Road Transport has recently implemented a rule that states it will now be mandatory for automobile manufacturers to provide HSRP with new vehicles. From April 2019, all the new vehicles coming in the market will already have a high security registration plate. Due to this arrangement, consumers will not have to wait in line with the transport department to get high security plate.

Pre-fitted high security registration plates (HSRP) have been on the mind of the government for some time now. Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari discussed his plans for the Indian markets to come up with HSRPs mandatory for all classes of vehicles. The price of the number plate would be included in the vehicle price. The idea is to ensure nationwide uniformity in licence plate prices and bring down the cost for the customer, who has to spend anywhere between Rs 800 to Rs 40,000 for them.

HSRP, introduced in 2005 with additional layers of security, were made mandatory in 2012. Since September this year, the Delhi transport department has made absence of high security licence plates on vehicles punishable by fine, or even jail.

The high security registration plates come with several security features. They are made out of aluminium and are wrapped in reflective tapes. These are tamper proof and are equipped with chrome-based hot-stamp self-destructive holograms, along with an image of the Ashoka Chakra; retro-reflective film, bearing a verification inscription 'India' at a 45-degree inclination; and the permanent identification number of minimum 7 digits which will be laser branded into the reflective sheeting on the bottom-hand side of the registration plate.

The plates are fixed with tamper-proof non-removable, non-reusable snap locks, which will break on any attempt to remove the plates. Pre-fitted HSRPs are likely to cut down on the cases of vehicle theft and fraud in the country.