Nagpur: According to recent data obtained from the Transport Department, the craze for choice registration numbers for vehicles has gripped Nagpur City after the Covid lull, resulting in an increase of almost 33% in the government’s revenue from allotment of choice numbers.
In 2022, the state exchequer earned Rs 4.70 crore from Nagpur for VIP registration numbers of vehicles, which is a significant increase from Rs 3.15 crore earned during the same period in 2021-22.
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3 May 2025
According to Assistant RTO Harshal Dake, despite the high fees ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 4 lakh, many vehicle buyers are willing to pay more for having a VIP registration number. The numbers that are in high demand include 0007, 0009, 0090, 0099, 1234, 0123, 7007, 7777, 7700, 5555, and 0555. The RTO also provides jumping series numbers, and the charge for these numbers is between Rs 3,000 and Rs 7,500.
Out of the 300 choice numbers put up for sale, only around 100 were in demand, and the rest remained unsold. The revenue generated by the RTO by selling choice numbers has been increasing steadily. In 2018-19, the RTO generated Rs 1.37 crore, and in 2019-20, the revenue was Rs 2.29 crore. However, due to the Covid pandemic, the demand for choice numbers along with the registration of new vehicles had dropped in 2020-21, resulting in revenue of ₹1.96 crore from the sale of choice numbers.
When there is more than one application for a single number, the number is auctioned, which frequently happens for numbers like 9, 786, 1234, etc. In 2022, the Transport Department proposed to increase charges for choice number 0001 to Rs 5 lakh from Rs 3 lakh for four-wheelers and Rs 1 lakh for two and three-wheelers instead of the current charge of Rs 50,000.
