There is nothing more enticing than to accentuate the snob value on your new car with a fancy number plate. The general notion about fancy number plates has been that they are too expensive and virtually inaccessible for people who do not want to hassle around much for a particular number. Even though both the notions are completely true, the transport department is in the process to making them accessible by taking the whole process online for the purchase premium number plates.
The transport department will soon be launching the online auction of fancy number plates. The auction will be held every fortnight and about 140 VIP numbers for every series will be available for purchase. The department has sent a request to the Election Commission for the approval of the system and will go online soon. Originally scheduled to go online last year, the e-auctioning of registration plates got the green signal only after facing delays from several other departments.
Once the approval comes in, the first auction will take place within a few days. The transport department stated that the back-end software has been tested and is ready for an immediate launch. The premium numbers will be auctioned with a base price ranging from Rs. 20,000/- to Rs. 5 lakhs. The premium registration plates have been divided into five categories, with a base price for each. The transport department will announce the registration numbers, which will be put up for sale fortnightly. The interested customers can bid for the number of their choice and the highest bidder will get the number after the 14-day bidding process.
Over the course of the previous year, the transport department did not allot fancy numbers to anyone except for the exempt categories like MLA, MP, Union and Delhi government officials, judges and so on. The decision to auction the numbers online was taken after complaints of corruption in the allotment of these fancy number plates. The government earns crores of revenues in the auctioning of these numbers across the country, especially in states like Punjab, Goa and Haryana. The new system will bring in more transparency in the buying process and will help buyers avoid meeting traffic babu’s outside the office to get the desired number.
