Popularity of vanity vehicle numbers dips; Just 11 numbers from 0001 to 0099 auctioned in PB 30 M, PB 30 N series

Popularity of vanity vehicle numbers dips

Just 11 numbers from 0001 to 0099 auctioned in PB 30 M, PB 30 N series

Hike in reserve price

• As per a notification issued by the state transport department on January 9, last year, the reserve price of the number 0001 was increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 5 lakh
• The reserve price of numbers 0002 to 0009 was fixed at Rs 2.5 lakh, which was earlier Rs 10,000. That of numbers between 0010 and 0099 was increased to Rs 1 lakh, which was earlier Rs 3,000
• The reserve price of vanity numbers like 0200, 0300, 0111, 0222, 4444, 5555, etc. was increased to Rs 25,000. For numbers like 2345, 3456, it was fixed at Rs 12,500
• The reserve price of numbers like 1010, 9898, etc. was fixed at Rs 10,000

Archit Watts

Muktsar, April 29

Tribune News Service

The state government’s decision to hike the prices of vanity vehicle registration numbers seems to have backfired. As a result, the state transport department is now contemplating to review the decision and lower the reserve prices.

There were no takers for vanity vehicle registration numbers in Muktsar district from 0001 to 0099 in the PB 30 M and PB 30 N series auctioned recently.

If we talk about the auction of PB 30 M series, only nine numbers — 0002 , 0003, 0004, 0005, 0012, 0017, 0023, 0032 and 0060 — were auctioned in the category of single and double digits. The situation was almost similar during the auction of numbers in the PB 30 N series. Just two numbers could be auctioned — 0003 and 0005.

When contacted, Hardeep Singh, District Transport Department (DTO), Muktsar, said, “Most of the fancy numbers from 0001 to 0099 are still available as there were hardly any bidders.”

Earlier, when the reserve price for fancy vehicle numbers was low, there was a large number of bidders and hardly any number had remained unauctioned.

Sources in the state transport department said the situation is almost same in other districts and the idea of hiking the reserve price of motor vehicle registration numbers to increase the revenue collection had failed to serve its purpose. To bring in transparency, the procedure of applying for fancy numbers was also changed and made online.

When contacted, Mahesh Garg, Joint State Transport Commissioner, said, “This issue is under consideration of the higher-ups. Any decision to lower the reserve prices will take some time.”