FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT
IMPHAL, May 23: Police, VDF personnel and officials of the Transport department have been checking all kinds of private vehicles to impose heavy fines if there is no high security number plates.
As per the Supreme Court ruling, such number plates will help police to locate a stolen car. However, it has never happened in Manipur and most of the states in the NE region that such stolen vehicles are recovered on the basis of such high security number plates. On this ground, some NGOs had prepared to file a suit against the government action. However, for unexplained reasons the matter was dropped.
Though using helmets is a must for the motorists there has been no arrest of the motorists in Manipur. Of course, from time to time police ensure that the motorists do wear the helmets and during such campaigns, there is a brisk sale in the shops in and around Imphal. After a few days the campaign is called off. Reports say that the vehicles used by the elected members, high police and civil officials and security guards never use the high security number plates. Certainly this is in violation of the Supreme Court order. It was acidly pointed out that these officials and elected members were never pulled up and fined.
The Transport department is yet to come out with a statement on this discrimition.