Hard-to-forge smart number plates in the offing

New Delhi: It's time to get used to smart number plates on vehicles. After Delhi, it will become mandatory across the country. But what is a smart number plate and how does one get one?

The smart number plate is made of a flexible alloy of aluminum and is completely blank, except for three markers on it which make it very hard to duplicate.

The three markers include a chakra hologram that's very hard to duplicate, the letters 'IND' written in blue and a special number etched indelibly by laser.

Workers stamp each blank plate with your vehicle's license number. The raised letters on the plate are treated with an imported film, which is another security feature that will make it hard to copy.

At a press in Burari in North Delhi, they make more than a thousand such plates every day.

While attaching the plate to the car, a special type of screw is first tightened and then snapped off, making it impossible to unscrew the plate. But if you damage it in any way, you have to come back to the transport office, which is not nice, considering the crowds at Burari RTO.

There are six other centres in Delhi at Mall Road, Rajpur Road, Rohini Wazirpur, Palam and Janakpuri. However, customers complain of massive delays.

"I came yesterday morning. They asked me to come back in the evening but I didn't get my plate. I came today at 9 am. It's 4 pm now and I still don't have my plate," complained one of the customers.

Two-wheeler owners will have to pay Rs 69 and car owners, about Rs 214 for the new smart plates. Sending the plates directly to dealerships could reduce unnecessary crowds. But officials say it could lead to security problems.

Sisir Banerjee, Vice President, Rosmerta Autotech, said, "We are supposed to fix the plates in the presence of RTO officials only. And that's what we are doing."

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