IMPHAL, March 3: The Human Rights Defender, Manipur is likely to lodge a PIL at the Manipur High Court soon against the Transport Department if it doesn`™t withdraw the order issued by its Director that made the High Security Registration Number Plates on vehicles mandatory in the State.
Speaking to the media at the Manipur Press Club, HRDM general secretary Moirangthem Rakesh said the order issued by the Director has created an avenue for the police personnel, VDF personnel and traffic control police personnel to earn sizeable incomes.
The memory chip devices which are to be installed in high security plates are not easily available. Many vehicles installed with high security plates have been stolen but the department has not been able to trace the vehicles, he said.
Even as the installed high security plates have failed to function properly in the State, police and traffic police and VDF personnel are demanding money from vehicle owners by citing the non-installation of the high security number plates as the reason, he said.
He further stated that police and VDF personnel demand to know from vehicle owners whether they have proper verifications of their vehicles and have got the high security number plates installed while checking vehicles instead of finding out any unwanted elements.
It is not their duty to find the details about vehicles, he said, adding in a similar vein, traffic control police personnel whose job is to control traffic flow have also started checking vehicles.
All these activities must be done by the Transport Department, he said, adding their unwarranted activities are creating lots of hindrance to the people. This must be stop at the earliest, he emphasised.
Many Treasury Rules (TRs) have been drawn by the traffic police, police and VDF personnel but in which account the money thus collected have been put in, he demands to know.
Moreover, the department also connived with the company to fleece money by befooling people in the name of installing high security plates for security reasons, he said.
HRDM chairman Joy Chingakham said the State`™s Human Right Commission is defunct for many years now and thus human rights have been violated with impunity.
Read more / Original news source: http://kanglaonline.com/2015/03/human-rights-body-to-file-pil-against-govt-order-for-compulsory-installation-of-high-security-number-plates/