Bengaluru: The fight against monopoly awarding of tenders for the High Security Registration Plates (HSRP), a flagship project of The Union Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) in Karnataka, has received support from various quarters.
The fight was started by the Bengaluru University PG and Research Students Association a few days ago, and many other associations have joined them. Meanwhile, Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has assured that he will check for anomalies and rectify any mistakes made by the previous government.
The association president, Lokesh Ram, has welcomed the minister’s quick response. Associations like Brastachara Virodhi Yuva Vedike and Samatha Sainika Dal Vidyarthi Ghataka have also welcomed the minister’s assurance. HSRP has been made mandatory is that the old number plates are quite easy to temper with and can be misused by car thieves. Therefore, MoRTH has made it mandatory that all vehicles be fitted with HSRP number plates. MoRTH has given permission to close to 20 companies to install HSRP number plates on existing and new vehicles in the country.
However, in order to create a monopoly, only four firms in Karnataka are likely to get permission to install HSRP number plates, as Lokeshram had alleged and demanded immediate intervention from the state government and transport department. ‘We welcome the transport minister’s assurance’ Brastachara Virodhi Yuva Vedike president Dr VS Venkatachala and and Samatha Sainika Dal Vidyarthi Ghataka president G Gopalaih, who have joined with the student association, said that Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy has assured that the government will not allow any illegality in the HSRP number plate tenders. “We welcome the minister’s quick response,” they said.They added that Minister Reddy has taken a pro-people stand and assured to stop any wrongdoing. The Minister has informed that the file regarding HSRP rules and regulations is yet to reach his office table. Permission to issue HSRP number plates will be given to companies that are officially suggested by the Union government.
Meanwhile, the association also informed the minister how the monopoly in issuing HSRP number plates will impact the livelihood of more than 20,000 families who depend on this industry. It is estimated that the country has close to 30 crore old vehicles, out of which Karnataka has 2 crore. By awarding tenders to 3–4 companies, the entire process will become a monopoly, paving the way for the mafia.