Gujarat vehicles flout HSRP & PUCC rules: CAG report reveals millions uncompliant

A significant portion of Gujarat’s vehicles, approximately 21.9 lakh, are operating without mandatory High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) despite the rule’s implementation in 2017.

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A staggering 21.9 lakh vehicles of Gujarat, or a tenth of the total vehicles, move merrily on the state’s roads without the High Security Registration Plate (HSRP), which the state govt made mandatory in Dec 2017. Oct 2019 was the fitment deadline.The troubling number of vehicle owners flouting the rule was flagged by a recent Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) report.

The CAG pointed out that the transport department has also failed to enforce the rule requiring all vehicles to carry an up-to-date Pollution Under Control Certificate (PUCC), with the errant vehicles ballooning to 69.2 lakh. These vehicles were registered between April 2009 and March 2019 and did not have the PUCC renewed even once from April 2019 to March 2024.

The report stated that the audit of VAHAN data showed that 21.9 lakh vehicles registered between April 2009 and March 2024 did not have HSRP installation details. About 2 crore vehicles were registered in that period.

Sources in the transport department said that despite the rule mandating that no vehicle be delivered without the HSRP, many dealers have been disregarding the rule.

“In some cases, it has come to our notice that the temporary number, having caught the vehicle owner’s fancy, goes up on the numberplate,” said a senior officer.

Many vehicle owners dodge HSRP installation to avoid getting challans, the officer said.