The craze for fancy registration numbers for vehicles among the public has resulted in generation of additional revenue for the Transport Department.
The Madurai North Regional Transport Office (RTO) has recorded a revenue of Rs.46.72 lakh through registration of fancy numbers for 654 vehicles under the previous series of ‘TN 59 BC.’ Similarly, Rs.31.62 lakh was recorded by the Madurai South RTO through registration of 592 vehicles under the previous series of ‘TN 58 AF.’
“Fancy numbers these days are not necessarily numbers that appear in a sequence. People want specific numbers after consulting numerologists. Sometimes it is a matter of personal preference,” said J. Baskaran, Regional Transport Officer of Madurai Central.
“In an ongoing series, there are 99 numbers which appear in series allotted for government use and the rest are for the public. Of late, there have been an increase in demand from travel companies who need similar registration numbers for their fleet of vehicles,” he said.
K. Saravanaperumal, a resident, said he opted for a fancy number because he wanted a number similar to that of his friend.
“After paying Rs.2,000, I was able to get it. Some of the people I know opt for fancy numbers citing numerology. Many others want numbers that are easy to remember,” he said.
Those seeking a fancy number must pay Rs.2,000 while registering for a fancy number for a two-wheeler and Rs.10,000 for four wheelers that cost less than Rs.4 lakh and Rs.16,000 for those which cost more than Rs.4 lakh. “If you want fancy numbers in series such as ‘3333’ or ‘0222,’ which have been reserved for the government, you must get a clearance certificate from us stating that the number is available and has not been allotted to a government vehicle and then procure a Government Order from the transport authority in Chennai,” Mr. Baskaran said.
Another official said those who own high-end luxury cars consider a fancy number to be a status symbol.
