"fancy-numbers"

The RTA Hyderabad Central Zone collected Rs 43.57 lakh through a special auction of premium vehicle registration numbers. The highest bid of Rs 18 lakh was for TG 09 J 9999, reflecting strong demand for fancy numbers.

According to RTA officials, several high-value numbers fetched substantial amounts during the registration number auctions.

According to RTC officials, the demand for personalised registration numbers has continued to grow, with car owners expressing a variety of preferences

An out-of-series VIP number will cost up to Rs 18 lakh in major cities including Mumbai and Pune, which incidentally is the cost of new cars in the mid-segment. Many fancy the covered '0001' for their vehicles. Now Maharashtra governemnt will collect Rs 5 lakh for four-wheelers, up from the current Rs 3 lakh. For two and three-wheelers, the fee will increase to Rs 1 lakh, doubling from the existing Rs 50,000.

The registration of fancy vehicle numbers in the city has steadily increased over the years, with individual bids even crossing a whopping Rs 10 lakh.

With online booking option for special numbers being made available across TS, the response has been overwhelming, say officials