Existing vehicles can have BH series number

New Delhi: Now, existing vehicles with regular registrations can be converted into BH (Bharat) series numbers, a move much beneficial to employees having transferable jobs.

So far, only new vehicles could opt for the facility that pre-empts the requirement of transferring vehicle registration when the owner moves from one state to another, taking the vehicle along.

The Ministry of Road Transport and Highways (MoRTH) has effected an amendment to the Central Motor Vehicles Rules, 1989, as part of the initiative.

However, vehicle owners in Kerala won’t be getting the benefits since the state is yet to implement the BH series registration system, which provides number plates that are valid anywhere in the country.

Presently, vehicles with regular number plates registered in one state can be used in another only for a period of one year. The vehicle should be re-registered for using them for more periods. The regulation, though, is not applicable to BH vehicles. Employees who get transferred to other states and those shifting outside the state find the BH registration system much more beneficial. Such number plates will begin with ‘BH’.

Who all can avail the facility?

Those eligible for the BH number series include the people employed in the Defense sector, State and Central Government employees, and staff of private firms who have offices in more than four States or Union Territories. These people can submit applications using Form 27 (A) in the state, where the vehicles are registered, to convert them into BH series. The private employees need to also produce working certificates from the institutions they work for.

Over half-a-lakh vehicles in the country; Kerala yet to implement

Kerala is yet to implement the BH series registration system even as 50 lakh vehicles across 20 states were issued the BH number plates. As per the figures till December 5, there are 49, 696 vehicles with the BH series registration.

Besides Kerala, states like Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand are going slow on implementing the system. Kerala is opposing the registration, citing huge tax loss post its implementation.