Motorists who registered their vehicles prior to April 1, 2019, will have to shell out money to replace their old registration plates. The Transport Department, which is in the process of making High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) mandatory, has floated a tender to select an agency to execute this.
Around 1.76 crore vehicles in Karnataka were registered before April 1, 2019, majority of which are from Bengaluru.
The agency will set up a manufacturing unit for the embossing and affixation of HSRPs within three months after reaching an agreement with the department. Affixing stations will be made available in each RTO jurisdiction. As per the tender, the agency should also give vehicle owners the option of making online bookings and affixing HSRPs at their doorstep.
The agreement with the agency will expire either in three years or when all 1.76 crore vehicles have upgraded to the new plates, whichever is earlier. Fees will be collected from motorists as per the notification issued by the department.
The department will get a royalty of 2% of the HSRP fee. A senior official of the department said: “All new vehicles registered after April 1, 2019 have been fitted with HSRPs. We estimate there are around 1.76 crore vehicles were registered prior to that date. The bidder who quotes the lowest price for installation of the HSRP will be selected.”
The system to affix HSRPs, which are touted to be tamper proof, is already in place in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The State government had initiated the implementation of HSRP in 2010-11. However, the tender process was embroiled in various controversies and the matter also reached the courts. Following this, the government cancelled the tender it had floated in 2013.