Hefty fines for faulty number plates
HYDERABAD: Having fancy fonts on vehicles' number plates is trendy, but denizens might well think twice before hitting the roads from Monday as the Hyderabad Traffic police will start a special drive against improper and tampered number plates in the city.
Speaking at a meeting here, additional commissioner of police (traffic) CV Anand said criminal cases will be registered against the number plate manufacturers and dealers if they do not follow the norms. Their shops will also be seized.
However, the dealers were left confused as they considered seizure of their shops as extremely harsh.
'Usually, influential people such as politicians order number plates with fancy fonts and names. If we don't do it, there will be someone else to grab the offer,' said a number plates' shop owner at King Koti.
'The city traffic authorities prescribe two fonts, Times New Roman and Ariel Black, whereas there is only one font (Ariel) permissible in other parts of the country,' points out another shop owner.
'Some people do not own their original papers as they mortgage the RC for money or if they buy their vehicle on installments,' said a number plate vendor at Charminaar.
According to the MV Act, except registration marks of the vehicle, any other names, pictures, arts should not be displayed on number plates including fancy fonts.
The authorities are all set to charge offenders with a fine upto Rs 5,000. The traffic commissioner directed the shop owners to strictly follow the rules and verify the original documents.
The shop owners said that a normal number plate as prescribed by the MV Act would cost around Rs 60 whereas one with fancy fonts costs upto Rs 5,000.
News Posted: 12 August, 2012
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