Hyderabad: As many as 20,000 cases were booked on violators for plying without registration plates or tampered number plates in the last two months.
The registration numbers have to be written as per the specification in Section 51 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989 as there are chances that criminals use such tampered number plates to evade the police.
Drivers intend to escape from non-contact enforcement by temporarily covering one of the number plates or twisting it so that few numbers are not visible and they can avoid challans.
D. Naveen Kumar, a private employee, said, “Many drivers want to escape challans and violate traffic rules like traveling without a helmet, triple riding and altering their number plates like folding, tampering and painting. The police should take stringent action against such violators.”
Expressing their fear of criminals escaping without getting caught D. Vamshi, a commuter said, “There is a possibility of chain snatching, hit and run cases or drunken driving without getting caught.”
Another commuter M. Srinivas said that the penalty should be increased.
“Even though the Motor Vehicle Act identifies the practice as an an offence, since the penalty associated with it is low, people aren’t deterred,” Mr Srinivas said.
Additional commissioner of traffic, Anil Kumar said, “We have constituted four special enforcement teams to book cases under violation of CMV Rule 50 and 51 (Improper and Without Number Plate).
Citizens are informed that bending of registration number plates is also punishable under central motor vehicle rules”.
Stringent action will be initiated against owners/drivers who move with tampered number plates and without registration number plates. Cases under Indian Penal Code (IPC) can also be booked under forgery section added Kumar, traffic official.
