By IANS,
Chandigarh : Following in the footsteps of Chandigarh, where chosen registration numbers of motor vehicles are auctioned by the government, the Haryana government has levied a fee for those wanting to acquire a VIP or choice number for their vehicle.
The state’s transport department would now charge an additional fee of Rs.500,000 for the registration number 1 in any series for private (non-commercial) vehicles, department officials said here Friday.
Registration numbers 7 and 9 will be up for grabs for a minimum fee of Rs.150,000 while for the remaining single digit numbers in any series, the fee will be Rs.75,000. Numbers like 10, 11, 22, 33, 44, 55, 66, 77, 88, 99 and 100 would cost Rs.50,000 apiece.
Even the number 786, considered auspicious in Islam, will have a minimum value of Rs.50,000.
In Chandigarh, a union territory but the joint capital of Punjab and Haryana, registration numbers are auctioned. Auction of the VIP number 1 has gone beyond Rs.500,000 here with number crazy people wanting to own a number at a cost equivalent to the price of a mid-size luxury car.
Vehicle registration numbers in series like 111, 222, 333, 444, 555, 1111, 2222, 3333, 4444, and numbers 12 to 21, 23 to 32, 34 to 43, 45 to 54, and so on would cost Rs.25,000 each, said a Haryana transport department official.
In case of commercial vehicles, the registration number 1 would cost Rs.100,000, numbers 2 to 11 and number 786 would cost Rs.20,000 each.
Other choice numbers in series will cost a minimum of Rs.10,000. Out of turn numbers sought by any vehicle owner will also cost Rs.10,000 each.
So far, the numbers were being allotted by the transport authority concerned of the state or in districts to VIPs and other influential people free of cost.