Cuttack, Sep 28 (PTI) Questioning the rationale behind fixing different deadlines for affixing High-Security Registration Plates (HSRP) in vehicles, the Orissa High Court Wednesday expressed anguish over the fact that the authorities are thinking of imposing penalties on those who would miss the deadline without putting proper infrastructure in place. Adjudicating over a writ petition filed by a bus owner Pabitra Mohan Khuntia and another, a Division Bench headed by Chief Justice S Muralidhar has also sought a reply from the STA (State Transport Authority) on whether the deadline for affixing HSRP could be further extended because there is a heavy rush among vehicle owners waiting online to get the new number plate. "The matter has been adjourned to be heard again on September 30", informed the petitioners’ counsel Kajal Sahu. The petitioners have challenged the mandate behind HSRP affixing and questioned the arbitrary manner in which the STA is fixing separate deadlines for vehicles having different registration numbers. The deadline for registration numbers ending with numerals 1 and 2 is set for September 30, whereas an earlier notification said fines would be collected from vehicles having numbers ending with numerals 1, 2, 3 and 4 from October 1, Sahu said. The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has made affixation of HSRP mandatory since June 1, 2022, for all vehicles registered before April 1, 2019. All vehicles registered after April 1, 2019, get the road permit with affixation of HSRP from the showroom itself. The new system has been introduced to ensure tamper-proof number plates with laser encoded alphabets and numbers for high security. PTI COR AAM RG RG