LUCKNOW, Sept. 14 -- The Uttar Pradesh transport department has ordered strict action after it was found that 9,469 private vehicles in Rampur were allotted the UP22BG registration series reserved exclusively for government vehicles. A probe initiated on September 10 confirmed that the reserved 'G/.G' series, in violation of Rule 51-K(2)(a) of the UP Motor Vehicles Rules, was used for private registrations between April 27 and August 12 this year. The inquiry flagged serious lapses, including misuse of administrative credentials, absence of written approvals and gaps in IT safeguards. Transport commissioner Brajesh Narain Singh said: "The UP22BG series had been frozen immediately. A proposal has been sent to the state government to suspend the Rampur ARTO (administration) and initiate major penalty proceedings." He further said that system access of the district's database administrator had been revoked and an FIR was being registered. Suspension and disciplinary action against clerical staff are also underway. For affected vehicle owners, the department has directed mandatory replacement of UP22BG numbers within 60 days. New registration marks from the private series will be allotted free of cost, with the last four digits preserved where possible. Fresh registration certificates and high-security registration plates will be issued and FASTag records updated. Failure to comply may lead to suspension of registration under the Motor Vehicles Act. Special counters and camps will be set up to ease the process, with SMS/email alerts and help desks for assistance. The department has also ordered systemic fixes, including maker-checker verification, 2FA/IP binding, audit logs, and stricter oversight of series allocation. "The use of government identity marks on private vehicles is unlawful and punishable. Rectification is being carried out in a time-bound and transparent manner. Citizens should cooperate and complete the process within the deadline," Singh said....