More than six lakh motor vehicles are running illegally on roads in different districts without fixing retro-reflective number plates, said Bangladesh Road Transport Authority officials.

After registering the vehicles at Dhaka offices the owners usually take the vehicles to other districts in the country.

This poses a problem as to fix the RR number plates these owners need to travel to BRTA circle offices in Dhaka.

As a major portion of the owners are reluctant to do so, vehicles — especially motorcycles — in different districts ply the road without RR plates.

BRTA deputy director (enforcement) Abdur Razzaq told New Age that the executive magistrates under the authority were instructed to take action through mobile courts for violating the law which makes using RR number plates mandatory.

Outside Dhaka, the district administrations were also requested to keep an eye on this matter, he said.

He alleged motorcycles comprise a major portion among the vehicles running without these number plates.

Earlier the owners could apply for transferring the RR number plates at the BRTA offices in the districts, where their vehicles currently are.

But during the present COVID-19 situation the authority stopped the transfer services.

Recently, the authority issued an urgent notice for fixing retro-reflective number plates saying that otherwise legal action will be taken.

Service seekers, however, are faced will manifold problems.

One named Jahidul Islam recently complained that he waited whole day at BRTA Mirpur circle office to fix the RR number plate on his motorcycle, but failed to do so due to huge queues of vehicles.

He also alleged that some owners jumped the queue by bribing some brokers there to avail of the service.

After prime minister Sheikh Hasina on October 31, 2012 inaugurated the production of RR number plates, Bangladesh Machine Tools Factory Limited started making the number plates on November 7.

The initiative was taken to improve the order and safety on the roads.

BRTA officials said that till July this year, 26.37 lakh RR number plates were tagged to motor vehicles while so far 32.59 lakh such number plates were produced.

The owners of some 6.22 lakh vehicles are yet to use the plate on their vehicles.

Among these vehicles 4.89 lakh are private and 1.32 lakh are commercial.

On August 5, the authority issued an urgent notice asking the owners to fix the RR number plates on their vehicles immediately.

Otherwise legal action would be taken against the vehicle owners and drivers, the notice added.