Gujarat Police registered 18,014 cases against vehicles with missing, tampered or stylised number plates between 1 and 20 September, and detained 4,187 vehicles, according to figures from the State Traffic Branch reported by DeshGujarat and by ANI via Asianet Newsable. Fines collected in the period came to about Rs 58.56 lakh. The statewide drive, supervised by DGP Gyanendra Singh Malik, continues until 14 October.
Vadodara ahead of Surat
Three units accounted for the most cases: Vadodara city with 1,959, Surat city with 1,786 and Banaskantha district with 1,363. Ahmedabad city does not appear in the top three in the published figures.
The Vadodara number stands out. Census 2011 counted about 44.7 lakh people in Surat city and 16.7 lakh in Vadodara, so Vadodara police booked more plate violations than a city more than twice its size. That could mean Vadodara’s roads have more offending vehicles, or it could mean Vadodara’s traffic police pushed harder in the first three weeks. The published data does not separate the two, and a count of cases measures enforcement effort as much as it measures the problem.
What the fines tell you
Rs 58.56 lakh spread across 18,014 cases works out to roughly Rs 325 per case. The reports do not break the fines down by offence, and some cases will have ended in detention rather than an on-the-spot payment, so the average is only a rough guide. It does suggest that for most motorists stopped so far, the cost has been small. Detention is the bigger deterrent: about one vehicle in four that police booked was held, which means a trip to the police station and paperwork before the owner gets it back.
State Traffic Branch SP V. Sahitya told reporters that plates with fancy fonts, stylised designs or anything that obscures the registration number can draw fines and legal action, and asked owners to keep plates clear and in the prescribed format.
Why police care about a font
The reports frame the drive around road safety and rule compliance. There is also a plain practical reason. City CCTV networks in Gujarat issue e-challans by reading plates on camera, and a plate in a decorative script, or no plate at all, puts a vehicle outside that system. The same gap makes it harder to trace a vehicle after a hit-and-run.
Plate fraud is not limited to private owners. Earlier this month Ahmedabad’s AMTS fined a private operator Rs 5 lakh after two of its electric buses were found running on the same registration number.
What it means if you drive in Gujarat
- Check your plate before the drive ends on 14 October. Stickers, tinted covers, stylised fonts and missing front plates all fall within what police have described as violations.
- New vehicles waiting for permanent plates are a common catch. Keep the dealer’s paperwork in the vehicle.
What to watch
The State Traffic Branch released a 20-day tally; a final figure for the full six weeks should follow after 14 October. The more useful number would be a district-wise count of repeat offenders and of plates linked to open e-challans or criminal cases, which would show whether the drive caught vehicles police were looking for or mostly fined careless owners. A spot check a month after the deadline would show whether the drive changed habits.
Sources: DeshGujarat, ANI via Asianet Newsable, IANS via Punjab Kesari
This report was compiled and written with AI assistance from publicly reported sources, and reviewed for accuracy.