Sambalpur: Vehicle Owners Roam with Stylish Number Plates; Violate HSRP Rules, Transport Department Remains Silent

High-Security Number Plates: A Mandatory Rule

Sambalpur: The transport department made it mandatory for all vehicles whether two-wheelers, three-wheelers, four-wheelers, or more, to have High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP). Those who did not install HSRP were fined by transport officials during vehicle inspections in April 2022. To comply with the law, vehicle owners waited in long queues and spent a lot of money replacing their old number plates with the new ones issued by the transport department.

Stylish Number Plates Still in Use

Surprisingly, even in February 2025, many vehicles in Sambalpur are still using stylish number plates instead of the mandatory HSRP. These plates modify the vehicle number by adding names, designations, or caste details of the owner. At first glance, these plates are difficult to understand, but after closely examining them for a few minutes, one can decipher the actual registration number.

Examples of Modified Number Plates

• A bike had “BOSS” written in English, which, upon careful observation, was found to be registration number 8055.
• Another vehicle had “Sharad” written in Hindi, which turned out to be registration number 2126.
• A third vehicle had “BOYS” in English, which upon closer look was actually 8045.

Hundreds of such vehicles are roaming in Sambalpur city and district, violating transport rules. However, the transport department has not taken any significant action against them.

Transport Department’s Response

When questioned about this issue, Sambalpur RTO officer Ramdas Tudu claimed that they are fining Rs. 5,000 for such violations. According to him, most vehicles in the city already have HSRP. However, residents question how so many vehicles with illegal number plates are still on the roads despite these claims.

The Risk of Untraceable Vehicles

If a vehicle with a modified number plate is involved in an accident and flees the scene, tracing the number through CCTV footage becomes nearly impossible. This poses a significant risk for law enforcement and public safety.

The Strict HSRP Rule in 2022-23

Back in 2022-23, the transport department was very strict about HSRP implementation. Due to the high demand, online bookings surged, and for months, number plate stocks were unavailable at showrooms. The government extended the deadline multiple times, setting final deadlines based on the last digit of vehicle registration numbers.

• Vehicles with numbers ending in 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6 had to install HSRP by December 31, 2022.
• Vehicles ending in 7 and 8 had a deadline of January 31, 2023.
• Vehicles ending in 9 and 0 had to comply by February 28, 2023.

Those who failed to install HSRP were heavily fined. Now, the vehicle owners who followed the law feel cheated as many others continue to use stylish plates without any strict action from the authorities.

Call for Strict Action

Sambalpur residents demand stricter enforcement of transport rules. They urge the transport department to take immediate action against vehicles violating the HSRP mandate. Without strict measures, illegal number plates will continue to be a problem, risking public safety and making law enforcement difficult.