CAG report HSRP initiative yields little positive result
Source: The Sangai Express

Imphal, July 26 2017: The initiative of attaching High Security Registration Plates (HSRP) to vehicles which was launched by the Transport Department in April 2012 as if it was absolutely necessary has yielded very little positive results, according to a CAG report .

The report further pointed out that money charged for affixing HSRP is much higher in Manipur as compared to other States .

A report published by CAG on the economic and revenue sector says that there are 3,06,039 motor vehicles registered in Transport Department including 2,10,990 two-wheelers, 15,885 three-wheelers and 79,164 four-wheelers .

So far, 1,48,548 motor vehicles have been affixed with HSRP which implies that 159,491 vehicles have not been affixed with HSRP .

Transport Department outsourced the works of issuing Smart Cards and affixing HSRP to two agencies .

While the Smart Card Project was entrusted to Manitron which is an undertaking of the State Government, the project of affixing HSRP was entrusted to Mumbai based M/S Shimnit Utsch India Pvt Ltd .

For HSRP, the vendor should pay 5 per cent royalty to the State Government but no royalty was charged for the Smart Card project .

As per the audit report which is for 2012-13 to 2015-16, an amount of Rs 11.66 crore was collected for affixing HSRPs .

Although the vendor should pay Rs 57.20 lakh as royalty to the State Government, only Rs 55.74 lakh was paid to the State Government till July 2016 when the audit was done.

Interestingly, the State Government did not even calculate the amount it should get as royalty, the report pointed out.

It also mentioned that the State Government has no action plan to ensure that the newly registered vehicles are affixed with HSRPs .

As such the whole initiative has been rendered fruitless apart from forgoing Rs 52.67 lakh which the State Government can earn as royalty for affixing HSRPs for the registered vehicles which have not been affixed with HSRPs, says the report .

Even as the Government pointed out that money charged for affixing HSRP in Manipur was uncannily high and asked Transport Department to hold re-tender and select firms/agencies which can affix HSRPs to vehicles at rates comparable to those other States, the department did not do anything .

HSRP rates charged in Manipur are Rs 597 for two-wheelers, Rs 735 for three-wheelers and Rs 1323 for light motor vehicles/medium/heavy motor vehicles .

The corresponding rates in Tripura are Rs 340, Rs 440 and Rs 590 respectively.

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