Road safety expert Dr. Kamal Soi warns of rising crime and security threats due to the Punjab government’s failure to implement High-Security Registration Plates on older vehicles.
Dr. Kamal Soi, a renowned international road safety expert, recently addressed a pressing security crisis in Punjab. He highlighted the non-implementation of High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) for vehicles registered before April 2019. Consequently, this administrative lapse has birthed a massive illegal market for counterfeit number plates.
During the press conference, Dr. Soi exposed how fake HSRPs are openly sold on e-commerce platforms like Amazon and Flipkart. “People are forced to buy these fake plates because the Punjab government has failed to provide a legitimate system,” he stated. After the previous vendor’s contract ended, the state left over 1.5 crore vehicle owners in a state of confusion.
Dr. Soi characterized the situation as a scam worth nearly ₹150 crore. Furthermore, he emphasized that these cloned identities significantly hinder law enforcement. Since approximately 99.9% of serious crimes involve vehicles, untraceable number plates pose a direct threat to national security. He specifically cited high-profile cases, such as the Sidhu Moose Wala murder, where attackers used fake plates to evade detection.
Moreover, the expert revealed a shocking sting operation. He discovered that local vendors could print fake UID numbers for just ₹2,000. Although the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM) has a functional booking portal, the Punjab government has not promoted it. Therefore, innocent citizens remain unaware of the correct legal procedure.
“We need enforcement, enforcement, and more enforcement,” Dr. Soi urged. He has already written to the Chief Minister and the DGP regarding this “lavaris” (abandoned) state of vehicle registration. Meanwhile, he demands immediate policy action to curb the rising trend of snatchings and murders linked to untraceable vehicles.
Finally, Dr. Soi called for a massive public awareness campaign. He believes that only strict enforcement and a transparent booking process through the SIAM website can solve this crisis. Until the government acts, Punjab remains vulnerable to a growing network of vehicle-borne criminals.
