MillenniumPost
Delhi

ARPMI unhappy over amendment in Central Motor Vehicle Rules

New Delhi: Days after the government issued the notification about the amending the Central Motor Vehicle Rules making it mandatory for vehicle manufacturers to provide High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) in all new vehicles from April, 2019, the Association of Registration Plates Manufacturers of India (ARPMI) has shown their unhappiness and displeasure.

"Once the amendment is brought into effect, blank plates would get embossed and affixed by tens of thousands of dealers located across the country. It would be practically impossible to trace laser inscripted Unique Identification Numbers (UIN) that are assigned for each and every plate. Under the current state, a strict MIS system is maintained by the single manufacturer who submits the same to the State Governments," said ARPMI in a statement.

The statement further said that, once the amendment comes into effect, it would be impossible for such records to be verified and States would not be able to verify the records and undertake law enforcement.

Further, the amended law disables the State Governments to identify lapses at the end of the motor vehicle manufacturer or HSRP

manufacturer."

"If blank plates are allowed to freely circulate without an established mode of traceability and accountability and there is no issuance control, security aspects of the High Security Registration Plates would wither away. The very purpose of having High Security Registration Plates would stand defeated. These were some of the principal considerations of the Hon'ble Supreme Court while issuing the above-mentioned Orders, the statement reads.

ARPMI further mentioned that pertinently, while the amendment was originally introduced in draft form April 10, the same was vehemently opposed to by manufacturers and civil society.

Significantly, now when the issue relating to the affixation of the colour coded sticker indicating their respective fuel types is sub-judice before the Hon'ble Supreme Court, the Central Government under the garb of implementing the said Order Dated August 13, has passed of the amendment and thus circumvented the legal hurdles that would have otherwise cropped up in the wake of amendment to Rule 50, Colour coded stickers are possible without forming part of HSRP, and are already implemented in the new vehicles and can be implemented immediately aver the old registered vehicles during pollution check etc.

However, by clubbing it with HSRP's and making dealers responsible for HSRP affixation, the government has ensured that till the entire infrastructure of embossing of High Security Registration Plates etc. is created by all vehicle dealers and the required authorisation/certificates is obtained by them, the colour coded segregation would eventually not happen. This is a clear attempt at bypassing the Supreme Court's directions issued in MC Mehta Vs Union of India to immediately ensure colour coded segregation of vehicles on the basis of fuel type.

"ARPMI has absolutely no objections to the policy on colour coded stickers, but strongly object to the Amendment through which HSRPs would be supplied by Motor Vehicle manufacturers and would be supplied by their dealers. ARPMI intends to challenge the same before the Courts. Its validity will be decided by the Courts, the statement said.

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