Meghalaya to auction coveted registration numbers for vehicles

The Meghalaya government has decided to auction coveted unique registration numbers for the vehicles the starting price of which ranges from Rs 8000 to Rs 30,000, officials said Monday.

The scheme is part of efforts to bring transparency in allotment of choice numbers and also to mobilise additional revenue for the transport department, they said.

A notification to this effect signed by Transport Commissioner and Secretary M R Synrem was issued on Friday last.

The minimum bid price of VIP registration numbers between 1 and 9 has been fixed at Rs 30,000, those between 10 and 20 to begin at Rs 25,000, the Transport Commissioner said.

Similarly, the minimum price for double digit repeat numbers such as 22, 33, etc have been fixed at Rs 20,000 while triple digit repeat numbers such as 222, 333 at Rs 15,000, he said.

The demand for these numbers has always been high and only the influential people used to get them under the old system.

With the new scheme in place, everyone is open to bid for their fancy numbers and everyone will get a fair opportunity and it will bring in more transparency," a senior official of the transport department told PTI.

The official said that similar system is in operation in Andhra Pradesh, Haryana and Chandigarh.