With traffic constables and Road Transport Authority officials turning a blind eye to number plate display violations of two-wheelers in Machilipatnam, a good number of bikes run without a number plate.
The owners of these vehicles also have a field day in and around the town by displaying their allegiance to a particular political leader or party by prominently putting on them in place of the number plates. Names of leaders, political party, and their flags on the number plate are a common sight with none questioning them.
Despite these vehicles creating panic among the public in the wake of rising hit-and-run cases, cops have failed to prevent the practice till date. According to Motor Vehicle Act-1988 and Department of Transport officials the registration number of the two-wheeler should be displayed on its number plate in a specific format.
The format prescribes size of the letters, font - Times New Roman or Arial Black. A section of political party supporters have turned the space, meant for showing the registration number of the vehicle, into a campaign board.
As the concept gained popularity among the public and became one of the most attractive and cheapest way to propagate their ideology and interests, people from many walks of life also joined them.
Now this class of people deliberately violate the traffic rules. While youths prefer to display photographs of celebrities, a small section of the society has even chosen to display their community identity by removing the existing registration number, issued by Road Transport Authority. Ironically, most of the violators even drive their vehicle to the police stations and government offices.
“Few traffic junctions are equipped with CC Camera surveillance, but the basic violation remains unaddressed,” said Lok Satta district president M.V. Nageswara Rao.
