An inquiry has been launched following a viral incident in which a newly registered three-wheeler was reportedly fined by a traffic police officer in Padukka for not displaying an official number plate.
DIG in charge of Traffic and Road Safety W.P.J. Senadheera said Police have sought an explanation from the Officer-in-Charge of the Traffic Division of the Padukka Police regarding the incident.
The controversy comes amid a longstanding backlog in the issuance of official vehicle number plates by the Department of Motor Traffic (DMT). Nearly 400,000 number plates had been pending due to previous delays in the printing process.
DIG Senadheera said motorists whose vehicles are affected by the backlog should be given a grace period until their official number plates are issued.
He said the Inspector General of Police had previously issued instructions and guidelines to police officers on how to deal with vehicles affected by the number plate shortage.
However, the DIG acknowledged that some police officers may still not be adequately aware of the instructions and said traffic officers have once again been reminded of the procedure.
Police had previously clarified that legal action should not be taken merely because an affected vehicle is using a temporary number display, provided it complies with the prescribed requirements. Temporary plates should carry black letters and numbers on a white background at the front and a yellow background at the rear.
DIG Senadheera said the Padukka incident is now subject to a fact-finding inquiry to establish exactly what occurred.
If the inquiry finds that the officer failed to comply with instructions issued by the IGP, disciplinary action could follow, he said.
The concession does not apply to motorists who have already received official number plates but fail to display them correctly. (Newswire)
