To end chaos at vehicle dealer outlets, Delhi govt to soon home-deliver HSRPs

The Delhi government will soon start home delivering high-security registration plates (HSRP) and fuel stickers for vehicles registered in the national capital, senior transport officials said Thursday.

The Delhi government will soon start home delivering high-security registration plates (HSRP) and fuel stickers for vehicles registered in the national capital, senior transport officials said Thursday.

The move comes after the city administration was flooded with complaints from vehicle owners who had failed to get the high-security number plates despite having paid for them and made the mandatory visit to the vehicle dealer outlets to collect them. (File photo for representation)

The move comes after the city administration was flooded with complaints from vehicle owners who had failed to get the high-security number plates despite having paid for them and made the mandatory visit to the vehicle dealer outlets to collect them.

On September 23, the Delhi government had issued a public notice asking vehicle owners to get their HSRP and colour-coded fuel stickers at the earliest in order to avoid being penalised for want of both. While the notice did not mention when the crackdown against defaulters would begin, it created a lot of panic among vehicle owners. Car dealers were soon flooded with applications for these new plates. The result was that there were at least 8,000 pending applications for HSRPs (as on Tuesday), creating a huge backlog and triggering chaos at dealer outlets.

HSRPs are hologram plates made with a laser-branded permanent identification number, which cannot be copied. The colour-coded stickers are meant to identify vehicles based on their fuel type. The stickers also include details such as the registration number, the registering authority, a laser-branded PIN, and the engine and chassis number of the vehicle.

A senior transport official said there are around 3.2 million vehicles in Delhi — both commercial and private — which are supposed to have these high-security registration plates. These include around 1.1 million four-wheelers and 1.9 million two-wheelers, while the rest are auto-rickshaws, e-rickshaws, buses, trucks, and others. The rule applies largely to vehicles registered before April 1, 2019, as vehicles registered after that date are mandatorily equipped with HSRPs and fuel stickers.

Stepping in to sort out the problems, Delhi transport minister Kailash Gahlot said they would soon start home delivering HSRPs and fuel stickers in view of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

“The existing system was resulting in overcrowding at dealer outlets. Home delivery of HSRPs, once introduced, will be a comfortable option for many -- for some extra payment. Vehicle owners will get the high-security number plates without having to step out of homes, although it may take a day or two longer than it would have if they collected them directly from dealers,” he said. The fee for availing of the home delivery option is yet to be decided, officials said.

A senior official of Rosmerta Safety Systems Private Limited, the manufacturer of HSRPs, said the final modalities of the home delivery system would be complete by Tuesday.

“We are hoping to formally launch the home delivery service by the end of October. The process will be seamless as the portal for availing of home delivery will be the same as the one for booking HSRP -- bookmyhsrp.com. The user will be given the option to choose home delivery or self pick-up,” said the official from Rosmerta, on condition of anonymity.

The company also said it will solely operate the home delivery service for which it is now expanding its call centres and also roping in companies that provide riders.

“Until now, our call centre was manned by just 20 people. Now, we are increasing the staff strength to over 100. For home delivery, we are creating a pool from our own staff as well as roping in two companies that provide riders,” the official said.

On Tuesday, Gahlot had chaired a meeting to resolve the problems being faced by vehicle owners in getting these new number plates. Gahlot had directed officials to ensure that motor vehicle owners are not penalised for failing to have upgraded to HSRPs and colour-coded fuel stickers until further orders.

The minister also had directed that no new application should be entertained until the backlog is cleared and the existing crisis is resolved.