Number plates to get hi-tech

Car thieves and other criminals will no longer be able to drive away in a vehicle with fake number plates. The central government's 2001 proposal for high security number plates is finally in the process of becoming a reality. The new plates will have a chromium based hologram and a permanent identification number which will make it very difficult to duplicate.

"The main security feature of the new number plates is the snap lock which will replace the present method of simply screwing on the plates. The new plates will have to be affixed in the presence of a Road Transport Officer. If you try to tamper with the plates, the snap lock will break the number plates. So, it will be impossi ble for criminals to change the vehicles' number plates," says Transport Commissioner Ajay Misra.

Currently, there is no regulation of number plates, but under the new system, all number plates will be supplied by the Transport office and will be accounted for. This will enable the police to catch criminals more easily."

So when will vehicle owners have to replace their old number plates? "It will be implemented in six months time after the government floats the tender for the contract," says the Transport Commissioner. The new plates have so far been implemented only in the state of Meghalaya, where they cost around Rs 800 for two wheelers up to Rs 1600 for heavy vehicles. The commissioner however, estimates that in a big state like Andhra Pradesh, the plates will cost around Rs 500-600 on average. "The new system will come into effect simultaneously in all the 38 RTO offices across 23 districts in the state," he adds.

But if all the number plates are to be made by a single large company, in such a mechanised way, what will happen to the thousands of people who make number plates for a living? "Actually, I think that additional work will be generated," says the commissioner. "Every single vehicle will need to change the old plates." But number plate makers see a very different future.

Says A. Anand, number plate shop owner on S.D. Road, "I have been in the business for 10 years. So many people are involved in this work." His partner J. Shekhar adds, "Right now it costs the customer about Rs 200 for a set of the usual plastic plates. Only luxury car owners go for laser cut numbers costing around Rs 800." Syed Nadeem, another plate maker says, "This is our livelihood and the government is taking it away."

Source:DC