Abdul Wahab Khan
Panaji: With AI-enabled traffic enforcement cameras set to go live in Goa from July 15, the Transport Department is intensifying its drive against high security registration plate (HSRP) violations, warning of stringent penalties of up to Rs 10,000 for motorists caught tampering with or removing number plates.
Officials said the AI-powered Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) system, which will begin issuing challans from July 15 after an awareness campaign, will automatically identify registration numbers and cross-check them with the national VAHAN database, enabling authorities to detect fake registrations, missing HSRP plates and other discrepancies without manual intervention. “Now with the cameras, everything will be tracked. The camera knows exactly what number it is. It tells exactly what vehicle it’s allotted to—make, insurance, documents, everything comes,” a senior official said.
According to officials, commercial operators are increasingly resorting to sophisticated methods to evade enforcement. Besides removing or concealing HSRP plates, authorities have found instances of private vehicles being fitted with rent-a-car registration numbers, while some rent-a-car operators allegedly use private black-and-white registration plates to disguise ‘commercial’ vehicles.
“Some people interchange the number plates. Others put black-and-white private number plates on transport vehicles. But once the AI system scans the registration, it will immediately identify the mismatch,” the official explained.
The department is particularly concerned about rental vehicles operating without compliant HSRP plates. “Strict action should be taken, especially where HSRP numbers are missing on rental cars,” the official added.
To deter violations, officials are pushing for tougher penalties. “I’ve been recommending that if somebody is caught driving a vehicle with number plate missing then the driver/vehicle owner should be fined Rs 10,000 straight away. They should feel the pinch,” the official said.
The renewed enforcement comes amid concerns that thousands of vehicles are yet to install HSRPs despite repeated deadlines. High security registration plates, introduced by the Union government, are tamperproof aluminium plates with a chromium hologram and a unique laser-etched identification number, designed to prevent vehicle cloning, theft and registration fraud while enabling accurate detection through ANPR systems.
Officials said the AI-based surveillance network will significantly strengthen enforcement by making it difficult for motorists to escape detection through fake, swapped or missing registration plates once the system becomes operational on July 15.
