Ludhiana: 3 months on, VIP vehicle number applicants await refund

The VIP vehicle number applicants said they have sent several emails to the transport department in Ludhiana demanding refund, but in vain

VIP vehicle number applicants who had paid refundable security to get enrolled into auction, conducted by district transport authorities to sell these fancy numbers, have been awaiting their refund for the past three months.

One of the applicants, Jaskaran Singh from Ludhiana, said, “ I paid ₹5,000 siting fees and ₹25,000 as security for HY 0009 number, but failed to get the VIP vehicle number. I’m waiting for the refund from almost three months.” (HT PHOTO)

The applicants said they have sent several emails to the transport department demanding refund, but in vain. The department charges a non-refundable enrolment fee of ₹5,000, along with ₹25,000 refundable security, for the auction of number series from 0001 to 0009, and 0786 number. Apart from these numbers, an applicant has to ₹1,000 without any security for other fancy numbers.

Notably, the mode of auction was shifted from offline to online mode during the Covid pandemic to ensure transparency in the auction process.

One of the applicants, Jaskaran Singh, said, “ I paid ₹5,000 siting fees and ₹25,000 as security for HY 0009 number, but failed to get the number. I’m waiting for the refund for almost three months.”

State transport commissioner Moneesh Kumar said, “I had a meeting with bank officials and other stakeholders. The issue will be resolved within next week.”