Traffic police gear up for crackdown on non-HSRP vehicles in Hyderabad

The Hindu

26-06-2025

In a bid to enforce long-pending vehicle safety regulations, the Hyderabad and Cyberabad police, in coordination with the Telangana Transport Department, are set to launch a large-scale enforcement drive against vehicles that have not been fitted with High Security Registration Plates (HSRPs).
Senior officials confirmed that while enforcement of this provision is permitted under the Motor Vehicles (MV) Act, the implementation in Hyderabad has so far been sporadic and uncoordinated. 'We are now preparing to roll out strict enforcement drive in coordination with the Transport Department,' said Hyderabad Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) D. Joel Davis.
Cyberabad Joint Commissioner of Police (Traffic) Gajarao Bhupal noted that while challans have been issued under the 'irregular number plate' category, enforcement has lacked systematic execution and uniformity. 'We are now working to ensure HSRP plates are first installed on all government vehicles to set an example,' he added.
As per the data shared by the Cyberabad Traffic department, between January 1 and June 19, 2025, Cyberabad police recorded 32,448 number plate violations, including 15,146 for improper or irregular plates, 5,755 for erased plates, 5,431 for fancy plates, and 5,244 for vehicles without any number plates. An additional 872 cases involved tampered plates.
Mahesh Malhotra, Secretary of the High Security Registration Plates Association of India, described the situation in Hyderabad as a clear case of regulatory lapse. 'The number of older vehicles fitted with HSRPs in Telangana is negligible when compared to other States. Lack of awareness, enforcement gaps, and the Telangana government's delay in issuing HSRP procedures for older vehicles are the key reasons for non-compliance,' he said.
The Supreme Court of India, through its order dated April 9, 2025, has instructed all States and Union Territories to file compliance reports on the affixation of HSRPs to older vehicles and enforcement actions under the Motor Vehicles Act by June 30.
However, in a May 2, 2025 letter from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) outlining the national progress on HSRP installation, data from Telangana was missing. 'Without data submission or integration with the Vahan and Sarathi portals, Telangana's status remains uncertain,' said Malhotra.
HSRPs play a vital role in ensuring vehicular security and law enforcement. Equipped with tamper-proof snap locks and laser-etched serial numbers, these plates are linked to Vahan database, allowing agencies to track stolen vehicles, verify registration data, and issue automated challans via Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems.