In spite of being mandated by the Supreme Court, the amended Rule 50 of the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), and notifications from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH), the rollout of HSRPs remains sluggish in a few states, including Maharashtra.

offered an alternative route: partnering with vehicle manufacturers for HSRP installation, just like they do for new vehicles. This approach has proven successful in states like Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Madhya Pradesh, who’ve embraced the OEM route for swift and smooth implementation.

Work on, amidst legal challenges, claims transport commissioner

Maharashtra’s Transport Commissioner, Vivek Bhimanwar, told Autocar Professional that the state’s motor vehicle department is not lagging behind in implementing its HSRP bids, as a tender has been in place since August 2023 for fitting tamper-proof HSRPs to all vehicles registered in the state before April 2019.

He added that the ongoing tender is targeted to be closed by the end of March 2024. The top official noted that tender documents floated by the Maharashtra government have ensured that the contractors who will make HSRPs in bulk will meet the demand of installing 2 crore number plates in one go.

However, hiccups remain on account of a public interest litigation (PIL) filed in the Bombay High Court to quash the proceedings of the current tender for implementation of HSRP. With the preliminary hearing underway, the state government has given the go-ahead nod to carry on with the tender proceedings as the court has not imposed any stay in the case.