By IANS,
New Delhi : The city government Monday informed the Delhi High Court that the drive to impound new vehicles without High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) has been deferred for three days.
The Delhi government’s standing counsel Najmi Waziri told Justice Rajiv Shakdher that “to facilitate car buyers to fix High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) in their cars, the government has decided to defer the traffic police’s drive to impound the cars till Oct 3”.
He further added that 70,000 plates have already been made but they have not been collected by concerned dealers.
“From the date of receiving the cash receipts from dealers, the transport authority will issue the number plates within six days,” Waziri said. He added that car dealers were not sending cash receipts to the government for fixing high security number plates.
The court said the government should expedite issuing HSRP. The court has posted the matter for Oct 11.
The court was hearing a plea filed by advocate Shweta Kapoor against the Delhi government and the DCP of Delhi Traffic Police seeking a restraining order for government authorities from taking any coercive action or impounding vehicles which do not have HSRP.
The Delhi government made HSRP mandatory from May 1, 2012, for new vehicles in the city after a Supreme Court directive.
Kapoor, in her plea, said: “The traffic police and the transport department are planning a joint drive from Monday Oct 1, 2012, to crack down on such vehicles, ignoring protests from dealers and car buyers that they are not at fault as they have not yet received the licence plates.”
Kapoor has bought a new car and since the HSRP is not available, she said she is not being able to use the vehicle.
Traffic officials and the transport department on Aug 26 had said that car owners who do not have HSRP would have four days to get them or face a penalty of Rs.2,000 and possible impounding of the vehicle.
The scheme was made mandatory in all states and union territories. States like Meghalaya, Sikkim and Goa have already implemented the project.