Whats in a number - Perhaps a lot for Bengaluruites

4 June 2015 , Bengaluru

Citizens are willing to pay for fancy registration number as much as they would pay for Tata Nano car .Interesting trend  witnessed during   recent auction held at Bangaluru's road transport offices( RTO) . Transport department introduced an open bidding for fancy numbers, the registration number 9999 at Indiranagar ( KA- 41) regional transport offices  bagged for Rs 2.05 lakh each,the highest anyone has ever paid for a number in the tech hub of India.

According to Transport Commissioner Rame Gowda told "This was the first time we went for an open bidding and we got a good response. The process is transparent.Rs 10,11 lakh earned by Transport department by auctioning nine numbers at Jnanabharathi RTO and Rs 10,05 lakh by auctioning 11 numbers at Indiranagar RTO.

The willing bidders have to first deposit Rs 75,000 by ways of demand draft ( DD),& one could quote from Rs,1,000 onwards .The  winner will pay the highest bid quoted in addition to the DD amount. The unsuccessful bidders will get their DDs back.

Film stars , realtors, builders, politicians, underworld dons have a fancy  for unusual numbers. Some keep the last four digits of their mobile numbers as their registration numbers.Transport department officials say although many Bangalureans are crazy about fancy numbers, the craze is not as much as it is in the neighbouring Andhra Pradesh or in parts of the North India.

R Muniveere Gowde,Additional Transport Commissioner told " We decided to go for bidding as we opened a new series at Indiranagar (KA 03 MX) and at Jnanabharathi ( KA 41 MB) RTOs, and offered 50 fancy  numbers in the auction have to register their vehicles in three months.

In the past there was no clarity on fancy numbers & to get a special number means giving bribes & using influence . Now, it is transparent & the government can get additional revenue as well.The starting number 0001 was sold for Rs 40,000 in the series of KA 03 MX & for Rs.41,000 in the KA 41 MB series.Type your paragraph here.