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Fancy number craze fails to fill RTA coffers
Though the craze for fancy numbers has increased in the new State, the revenue has taken a beating with not many coming forward to pay plump sums for their desired numbers.
Flights of fancy
Road Transport Authority receives 5k more applications compared to last year
- Revenue falls by Rs 2 crore when compared to last year
- Low bids cited as one of the reasons for fall in revenue
- Officials hope to rake in rich moolah once the trend reverses
Hyderabad: Though the craze for fancy numbers has increased in the new State, the revenue has taken a beating with not many coming forward to pay plump sums for their desired numbers. According to transport officials, the revenue was dropped by Rs 2 crore though the number of applications increased from 65,000 to 70,000 in 2013-14. In the corresponding year 2013-14, 64,919 transactions took place and the transport department made Rs 33 crore. In 2014-15, the number of applications increased by 5,045, however, the revenue fell by Rs 2 crore as the department could make just Rs 31 crore.
The Regional Transport Authority (RTA), Khairatabad officials said the number of applications does not matter when compared to the spending capacity of applicants. Ravindra Prasad, an automobile dealer at Himayatnagar, said there has been an exodus of politicians, administrative officials and businessmen to Andhra Pradesh and that could possibly be one of reasons for low income. Meanwhile, those seeking a fancy number for a two-wheeler must pay Rs 2,000 while registering and Rs 4,000 for a four-wheeler.
Madhu, Data Processing Officer (DPO), RTA, Khairatabad said the dip in revenue could be attributed to the fact that there were more transactions for two-wheelers. The transport officials further cited low bids as another reason. Prior to the general elections, the bids touched high sums but after the polls and the division of the State, there has been a lull, they felt. In 2015-16, till date, 44,852 transactions took place and Rs 22 crore collected. Officials said they were hopeful that the trend would be reversed and would take just a few good bids to rake in the moolah.
Lot of applicants choose fancy numbers for a variety of reasons such as status symbol, numerology and for some who plan to sell the vehicle at a later date it ensures that they get buyers easily as people prefer a fancy number. Sudeep, an IT employee, said he applied for a fancy number which was similar to a popular flight number. He said, “I fly often to Bengaluru on the flight and took a fancy to the number.” He, however, did not disclose the number stating that he was very superstitious, thinking that by doing so he would miss the number.
By Sindhura Dharmasanam
