The Hindu : Kerala / Thiruvananthapuram News : Making identity difficult

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Nov 12, 2005

Kerala

Kerala - Thiruvananthapuram

Making identity difficult

The Motor Vehicle Department has directed field officers to take action against those violating the rules, writes S. Anil Radhakrishnan

Rampant use of stickers and non-adherence of the dimension of numerals and letters on the registration number plates of private vehicles, especially two-wheelers plying in the capital, are becoming a cause for concern for the law enforcing agencies.

Numerals and letters are written in decorative style on many vehicles making identification of the vehicle number difficult for the police and road users. Number plates written in bar code and cursive style are common. Motorcycles used by teenagers sport number plates with small letters and numerals.

The city police have found that stolen motorcycles and those with fake registration numbers were being used for chain snatching operations. Traffic police say flouting of the rules has prevented them from identifying the vehicles involved in chain snatching, hit and run and sexual harassment cases in the capital. Following this, the city police have warned that they will prosecute two-wheeler riders who do not exhibit the registration numbers in a legible manner.

The traffic police have already given notices to those involved in writing the number plates to ensure the specifications. "In many two-wheelers, the number plate in the front is not as per specification and is concealed beneath the headlight," says M. Radhakrishnan Nair, Circle Inspector, Traffic (North).

The dimension of letters and figures and the space between different letters and numerals and edge of the plain surface should be as per the Central Motor Vehicles Rules.

The Motor Vehicle Department has directed the field officers to take stern action against those violating the rules. The department and the traffic police are to commence the crackdown against erring motorists on November 20.

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