Vehicle owners who display unnecessary or unauthorised names, emblems, association names of government departments and boards on their registration plates should get ready to pay fines as the Transport Department is preparing to crack down on them. This follows a circular passed by the State government on May 19.
The rule also applies to unauthorised names and emblems of non-governmental organisations on number plates. Although these rules have been in place for a few years now, the department plans to get more stringent with the enforcement henceforth.
“There has been a court order as well as government order regarding this. Displaying such unnecessary and unauthorised names, emblems, and other things on number plates is contrary to Rules 50, 51 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules 1989 and Sections 3, 4 and 5 of the Emblems and Names (Prevention of Improper Use) Act 1950,” said T.H.M. Kumar, Commissioner for Transport and Road safety, at a press conference here on Thursday.
The Commissioner added that vehicle owners should remove unauthorised registration plates with immediate effect to avoid fines. He further said that there will be stricter enforcement against vehicles which have fancy or unclear fonts or designs on their registration plates. The fine amount for defective number plates in Bengaluru is ₹500 for the first offence and ₹1,000 for the second.
“Except numerals and the series letters, nothing else should be on the registration plates like Secretary, President, or so. It is not that people do not know these rules already. They are well aware and some break the rules despite that. That is why we are taking up stronger enforcement,” Mr. Kumar said.
The public seem to have their own doubts and apprehensions about the department’s rules. “If common people break the rules, then they ask us to pay fines. But there are many actors, celebrities, and even politicians who have quirky fonts and designs on their expensive cars. Do the authorities ever take action against them?, asked Pratheek, software engineer.
To counter such problems, the department has announced a WhatsApp number 9449863459 for the general public to report the unauthorised number plates they see on the roads. “Public can take photos of the vehicle and send it to the number along with details about the location and suitable action will be taken according to the law.”
