They have paid a huge sum to get fancy numbers for their premium cars that grab the attention of road users. Price of these fancy registration numbers is as high as Rs. 2 lakh and the prices are fixed by the Government. One can pick from the number available or come out with the number they want.
The price starts at Rs. 40,000 and goes up to Rs. 2 lakh. Other than these, there are a set of a 98 numbers in every series – including the current series – which one can get only on paying the premium price. These fancy numbers are termed ‘Government Numbers’ as one has to get a certificate from the Regional Transport Officer concerned on the availability of the number and obtain a Government Order for the same from the Home Department, Chennai. The vehicle owner should then pay the required fees at the respective RTO office.
Interestingly, vehicles with a number that totals to eight are also removed from the current series. There are some persons who prefer such numbers and they too pay the premium price fixed by the government.
Regional Transport Officials said that the demand for fancy numbers is more from car owners as they do not mind spending up to Rs. 2 lakh to get the registration number of their choice. Mostly truck owners do not spend much money for the registration number. Some private bus operators do have their favourite number and spend up to Rs. 40,000 for it. Two-wheeler riders mostly stick to the lower price segment of getting a fancy number from the set that is released on a day-to-day basis. Though demand for such numbers is on the rise, close to 50 per cent of these numbers remain untaken and are listed in the regular series for day-to-day registration. Some motorists wait for a few days for their registration with a hope of getting one of their favourite numbers.
(Reporting by
M.K. Ananth)
