E-Paper
Craze for fancy vehicle nos revs up RTO revenue
According to information from the department, almost as much income is earned from these numbers in the 10 months of the year as the RTO earns from vehicle registrations during Navratri and from Dhanteras to Diwali.
PRAYAGRAJ: The craze for fancy vehicle registration numbers continues unabated in the Sangam city, as new vehicle owners are willing to shell out even over ₹1 lakh at the RTO office to obtain their desired number for their brand-new rides. This trend has proven to be a money-spinner for the RTO, as the department has witnessed an average revenue of ₹2 crore annually, according to an RTO official.
ARTO (Administration), Prayagraj, Rajeev Chaturvedi said that fancy numbers have their own craze among vehicle owners, and they are ready to pay the premium fee to get their desired numbers, resulting in additional revenue for the department.
Keeping people’s preferences in mind, RTO-Prayagraj has released a list of new fancy numbers this year as well. According to information from the department, almost as much income is earned from these numbers in the 10 months of the year as the RTO earns from vehicle registrations during Navratri and from Dhanteras to Diwali.
The list of fancy numbers for this year includes registration numbers such as 0001, 0002, 0003, 0004, 0005, 0006, 0007, 1111, 0786, 3333, 4444, and 5555. These numbers are priced at ₹1 lakh for four-wheelers, while for two-wheelers and goods vehicles, they cost ₹20,000.
Similarly, other registration numbers on offer include 0010, 0011, 0022, 0033, 0044, 0055, 0066, 9000, and 9900, available for four-wheelers at ₹50,000. The same numbers are available for ₹10,000 for two-wheelers and goods vehicles.
If there are no buyers for these numbers, the auction process is stopped after a week, however, in case of multiple claimants for a particular number, the auction process continues for 14 days, and the number is allotted to the highest bidder, according to officials.
The numbers for which there are no bids during the auction process can be allotted at the base price. Apart from this, vehicle owners can also directly contact department officials if they have a specific number in mind that they wish to acquire, they said.
