The Transport Department’s move to auction certain “fancy” registration numbers has not got the expected response. Of the 50 fancy numbers that were up for grabs at the auction last Wednesday, only nine were eventually bought.
“The department earned Rs. 3.36 lakh after auctioning nine registration numbers. Including the deposit of Rs. 75,000 each from the nine bidders, the total revenue collected was Rs. 10.11 lakh,” said Rame Gowda, Transport Commissioner. The highest bid of Rs. 1.30 lakh was for KA-41/MB-9999. The least bid of Rs. 1,000 was for four numbers, he added.
Mr. Gowda said that whenever a new series opens, around 50 fancy numbers are chosen for the auction. The objective is to ensure that middlemen don’t block these numbers and later sell it to the public at a high price.
Curbing violations
Meanwhile, following directions from the High Court of Karnataka, the department has stepped up enforcement activities. In April 2015 alone, officials checked 4.89 lakh vehicles for overloading, noise pollution and air pollution. It has also collected a total of Rs. 11.36 crore in penalties.
Mr. Gowda said that the subsidy to replace two-stroke engine in autorickshaws was earlier fixed at Rs. 30,000. The department has sent a proposal seeking a hike in the subsidy to Rs. 50,000 to the Chief Minister’s office.
About the action taken against officials who are allegedly involved in financial misappropriation amounting to Rs. 4.28 crore in K.R. Puram and Gokak RTOs, he said that criminal cases had been booked against eight officials in Gokak and three in K.R. Puram.
These officials have been suspended, he said.
Auction of special numbers in the KA 03MX series (for Indiranagar RTO) will be held on Monday at 12 noon at the office of the Transport Commissioner, 1{+s}{+t}Floor, TTMC Building, K.H. Road, Shanthi Nagar, Bengaluru 560027. To participate, interested persons can submit either the vehicle sale certificate, copy of the invoice or booking receipt for purchase of vehicle with their full address, phone number and email id, along with a demand draft for Rs. 75,000 drawn in favour of Secretary, State Transport Authority, Bengaluru.
