Latest news with #NumberPlate
Time of India
7 hours ago
- Automotive
- Time of India
Fuel ban for old vehicles from July 1: Delhi pump owners seek police protection; fear backlash, chaos
NEW DELHI: Petrol pump owners in the city have written to the Delhi govt requesting the deployment of police or civil defence personnel at fuel stations from July 1, when the rule of no fuel to end-of-life vehicles kicks in. The petrol pump owners said their attendants were not equipped to deal with ugly situations where the vehicle owners forced them to refuel the vehicles. They also feared that the sales would shift to neighbouring towns if the rule was not implemented simultaneously across the national capital region. In a letter to Delhi transport minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association (DPDA) pointed out that consumers have resisted fuel attendants performing such roles in the past, leading to confrontations. tnn In a letter to Delhi transport minister Pankaj Kumar Singh, the Delhi Petrol Dealers Association added that a pump attendant was shot at in the neighbouring Ghaziabad a few years ago when he refused petrol to "helmetless" bikers. The transport minister could not be contacted for a comment. As per the recent directions of the Commission for Air Quality Management, all end-of-life (EOL) vehicles will be denied fuel in Delhi from July 1 and will be subjected to actions such as deregistration, impounding, and scrapping. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Buy Brass Idols - Handmade Brass Statues for Home & Gifting Luxeartisanship Buy Now Undo Around 100 teams of traffic and transport department officials will be deployed to flag down EOL vehicles -petrol vehicles aged 15 years or older and diesel vehicles aged 10 years or older - and all 520 fuel stations in the city will be equipped with technology to identify them. India currently adheres to Bharat Stage VI, or BS VI, emission norms for vehicular fuels, but there are old cars that still run on BS-II and BS-III standards. Police's job to enforce rules, not ours: Fuel station operators In his letter to the transport minister, DPDA president Nischal Singhania said their association consistently supported efforts to improve air quality in Delhi and the national capital region and facilitated the installation of Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras in collaboration with the special commissioner of transport at retail outlets to monitor vehicles on Delhi's roads. He, however, added that the responsibility to enforce the Motor Vehicles Act, 1989, and related rules lay with the department of transport and Delhi Police, and should remain with these authorities, and not the fuel station operators. Singhania also pointed out that no standard operating procedure on the enforcement of the rule had so far been shared with the petrol pump dealers by the relevant authorities. "Under the Essential Commodities Act, petrol pump dealers are prohibited from denying fuel to any customer, creating a conflict with the directive," Singhania said. While the new rule will initially be restricted to the national capital territory of Delhi, DPDA also called for its NCR-wide implementation, emphasising that pollution did not follow geographical boundaries. "Delaying the implementation in NCR would shift the sales to adjoining cities rather than remove EOL vehicles from the roads," Singhania said. He also said that the transport department's order of May 13 placed an undue burden on petrol pump dealers for implementing the rule by proposing penal actions against them, including arrest, for non-compliance, which was "neither practical nor acceptable". "Such measures would not only disrupt essential services but would also make this scheme a non-starter," Singhania said.
The Hindu
12-05-2025
- Business
- The Hindu
Deputy CM directs Excise dept. officials to identify and plug revenue leakages
Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka has directed the Excise department officials to identify and rectify revenue leakages in the department so that its income can be enhanced. The Deputy Chief Minister said although good progress was achieved in the sale of apartments and flats, the expected momentum was lacking in the sale of agriculture lands and open plots. He wanted the officials concerned to analyse the situation and take appropriate action. Mr. Bhatti Vikramarka chaired a meeting of the Cabinet Sub Committee on resource mobilisation on Monday. Cabinet sub committee members N. Uttam Kumar Reddy, D. Sridhar Babu and Jupally Krishna Rao were present in the meeting attended by senior officials led by Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao. The Cabinet panel expressed satisfaction over the 6% growth achieved by the Commercial Taxes department at the end of the previous financial year as compared to 2023-24 describing it as a positive development. The department set a target of ₹600 crore through CST and VAT in March and realised ₹500 crore. 'There is a need for a well-structured plan moving forward,' he said. The Cabinet panel members wanted the newly introduced Automatic Number Plate Recognition system to be widely implemented across various departments enabling conduct of large scale inspections. The Tribal Welfare department was directed to ensure that sand sales in tribal areas were conducted through tribal societies by identifying and enrolling genuine beneficiaries as members. The effort was to ensure that genuine tribals received the income through sand sales in the agency areas. The Ministers instructed Revenue department officials to identify valuable government lands in district headquarters and take steps to protect them. The HMDA was advised to expedite the process for issuing construction permits.
Daily Mirror
28-04-2025
- Daily Mirror
Drivers using 'ghost plates' to dodge speed cameras and bus lane fines
The illegal plates, which reflect camera flashes, prevent detection by speed and bus lane cameras and are also referred to as 3D or 4D plates. Authorities are now ramping up efforts to stop drivers from exploiting this loophole. Motorists are outsmarting speed cameras with crafty 'ghost plates' that render their vehicles undetectable to the law, according to council chiefs. These illegal plates, which bounce back camera flashes, thwart detection by speed and bus lane cameras and are also known as 3D or 4D plates. Authorities are now stepping up their game to close this loophole. Two years ago the people in charge of the UK's Automatic Number Plate Recognition system revealed that a surprising number of drivers – about one in 15 – can trick the system quite easily. Upon leaving his position, Professor Fraser Sampson wrote a letter to Transport Secretary Mark Harper lamenting the lack of action against these simple yet cunning tactics. To tackle the problem, councils have been armed with new cameras capable of spotting these elusive number plates. In Wolverhampton, local wardens were kitted out with this advanced tech as part of a stringent enforcement drive last year. Offenders caught in the act can anticipate a £100 fine for such violations. In his letter to Mark Harper, Prof Sampson detailed how individuals were sidestepping fines by cloning number plates, using reflective tape, and buying 'stealth plates', thereby dodging penalties for speeding or entering low-emission zones. He stressed that number plate readings are only 97% accurate, leading to a staggering 2.4 million incorrect readings every day, which in turn results in innocent drivers receiving wrongful fines. He noted that approximately 15,400 traffic lanes monitored by cameras submit between 75 and 80 million reads daily, with some days exceeding 80 million. Prof Sampson also mentioned the possibility of reaching 100 million reads per day by the end of 2024, reports Wales Online. Despite the ANPR system's technological advancements, Prof Sampson highlighted its vulnerability, saying: "For all its technological advancement and operational indispensability, the ANPR system still relies ultimately on a piece of plastic affixed to either end of a vehicle. "Served by a wholly unregulated market, what my predecessor termed the humble number plate represents a single and readily assailable point of failure with the ANPR network being easily defeated by the manufacture and sale of stealth plates, cloned registration marks and other rudimentary obscurant tactics." He elaborated on the ease with which the system can be compromised: "The result is that the ability to frustrate the ANPR system remains staggeringly simple at a time when proper reliance on it for key public services such as policing, law enforcement and traffic management is increasing daily. Emission zones and other strategic traffic enforcement schemes put motorists in situations where they have to make significant financial choices and it is at least arguable that the incentives for some to 'game' the ANPR systems have never been greater." Additionally, Prof Sampson pointed out simple methods of evasion: "Merely by applying reflective tape to distort part of a registration plate or purchasing stealth plates from online vendors, motorists can confuse and confound current number plate recognition technology and both of these are easily obtainable. One recent estimate suggested that one in fifteen drivers may already be using anti-ANPR technology; it is reasonable to expect this conduct to increase as the reliance on ANPR for new traffic management schemes continues."
Wales Online
27-04-2025
- Automotive
- Wales Online
Drivers making cars 'invisible' to speed and bus lane cameras
Drivers making cars 'invisible' to speed and bus lane cameras The new number plates are reflective and cannot be read by cameras. The practice has been dubbed 'ghost plates' and is illegal (Image: NORRIE3699 via Getty Images ) Motorists are dodging speed cameras by using ingenious 'ghost plates' to make their cars invisible to the law, council chiefs have warned. The illegal plates, which reflect camera flashes, prevent detection by speed and bus lane cameras and are also referred to as 3D or 4D plates. Authorities are now ramping up efforts to stop drivers from exploiting this loophole. Two years ago the person responsible for overseeing our national Automatic Number Plate Recognition system disclosed that a surprising number of drivers – around one in 15 – manage to trick the system with relative ease. Upon leaving his position, Professor Fraser Sampson penned a letter to Transport Secretary Mark Harper lamenting the lack of action against these simple yet cunning tactics. Article continues below To combat the issue, councils have been provided with new cameras capable of recognising the elusive number plates. In Wolverhampton local wardens were equipped with the advanced tech as part of a rigorous enforcement campaign last year. Those caught can expect a £100 fine for such infractions. In his correspondence with Mark Harper, Prof Sampson outlined how individuals were dodging fines by cloning number plates, using reflective tape, and purchasing 'stealth plates', thereby evading charges for speeding or entering low-emission zones. He highlighted that there is only 97 per cent accuracy in reading number plates, resulting in an astonishing 2.4 million incorrect readings each day, leading to wrongful fines for innocent drivers. He pointed out that around 15,400 traffic lanes monitored by cameras submit between 75 and 80 million reads daily, sometimes exceeding 80 million. Prof Sampson also mentioned the possibility of reaching 100 million reads per day by the end of 2024. Prof Sampson highlighted the vulnerability of the ANPR system despite its technological advancements, saying: "For all its technological advancement and operational indispensability, the ANPR system still relies ultimately on a piece of plastic affixed to either end of a vehicle. Served by a wholly unregulated market, what my predecessor termed the humble number plate represents a single and readily assailable point of failure with the ANPR network being easily defeated by the manufacture and sale of stealth plates, cloned registration marks and other rudimentary obscurant tactics." He elaborated on the ease with which the system can be compromised: "The result is that the ability to frustrate the ANPR system remains staggeringly simple at a time when proper reliance on it for key public services such as policing, law enforcement and traffic management is increasing daily. Article continues below Emission zones and other strategic traffic enforcement schemes put motorists in situations where they have to make significant financial choices and it is at least arguable that the incentives for some to 'game' the ANPR systems have never been greater." Additionally, Prof Sampson pointed out simple methods of evasion: "Merely by applying reflective tape to distort part of a registration plate or purchasing stealth plates from online vendors, motorists can confuse and confound current number plate recognition technology and both of these are easily obtainable. One recent estimate suggested that one in fifteen drivers may already be using anti-ANPR technology; it is reasonable to expect this conduct to increase as the reliance on ANPR for new traffic management schemes continues."
