Rajkot has become the first city in Gujarat to prohibit petrol and diesel stations from selling fuel to vehicles without registered number plates, officials said on Tuesday. The restriction has taken immediate effect and will remain in force for two months. Authorities said the measure applies to all vehicles across the city without exemptions, as part of efforts to improve public safety and ensure vehicles can be properly identified.

The decision follows a series of 15-day enforcement drives conducted across Rajkot, during which police officials found more than 100 vehicles without number plates in each operation. Authorities said the repeated discovery of unregistered or untraceable vehicles raised concerns because such vehicles can evade routine monitoring and make it difficult for law enforcement agencies to establish ownership or trace their movements.

Police officials linked the presence of vehicles without number plates to a range of offences, including reckless driving, road accidents, theft, robbery and other anti-social activities. Joint Commissioner of Police Chaitanya Mandlik said the repeated enforcement operations had highlighted the scale of the issue. He also warned that unidentified vehicles could be misused for serious criminal activities, making their identification important from a security perspective.

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Mandlik said the new order would be implemented without exception and that vehicles without number plates would not be permitted to purchase fuel. The administration has directed petrol pumps and other fuel outlets across the city to comply with the restriction. Officials said the objective is to encourage vehicle owners to ensure that their vehicles carry valid registration plates and can be readily identified by authorities.

Fuel stations that violate the order by supplying petrol or diesel to vehicles without number plates could face legal action under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, according to the administration. Monitoring teams have been deployed across Rajkot to carry out surprise inspections at fuel outlets and check compliance with the directive. The teams will monitor whether fuel stations are following the restriction during the two-month period.

The measure represents a significant enforcement step aimed at addressing the security and identification concerns associated with vehicles operating without registered number plates. Authorities have stressed that the restriction is intended to strengthen monitoring across the city and discourage the use of untraceable vehicles. The administration is expected to assess the impact of the measure during its two-month implementation period.

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