The Maharashtra government has drastically hiked the fee for “choice numbers,” commonly called VIP numbers, for new vehicles. With this hike, the fee for the most popular ‘0001’ number for four-wheelers in Mumbai, Pune, and other high-demand cities will now be Rs 6 lakh. The decision was taken following a notification issued by the transport department on August 30.
New fees and their impact
This new fee is much higher than the old fee. Earlier, the fee for ‘0001’ number for four-wheelers was Rs 3 lakh, which has now increased to Rs 5 lakh. Similarly, for two and three-wheelers, this fee will increase from the current Rs 50,000 to Rs 1 lakh. Especially in high-demand areas like Mumbai, Pune, Thane, Aurangabad, Nashik, and Kolhapur, the fee for ‘0001’ for four-wheelers and more than four-wheelers will now be Rs 6 lakh, which was Rs 4 lakh earlier.
With this fee hike, if a vehicle owner wants to get the ‘0001’ number out of the series for his vehicle, he will have to pay up to Rs 18 lakh for it. This price can be equal to a new mid-segment car. Earlier, the fee for this type of out-of-series VIP number was Rs 12 lakh, which was paid by major entities like Reliance Industries.
Increasing demand for VIP numbers
Keeping in mind the increasing demand for VIP numbers, the Maharashtra government has implemented this hike. These numbers are very popular among high net-worth people, big businessmen, politicians, and celebrities. These numbers are a symbol for their expensive and luxury cars.
How much fee for two-wheeler and three-wheeler vehicles?
The Maharashtra government has identified 240 VIP numbers in each registration series, which include important numbers like ‘0009’, ‘0099’, ‘0999’, ‘9999’, and ‘0786’. The fee for these numbers has also been increased from Rs 1.5 lakh to Rs 2.5 lakh for four-wheelers and multi-wheelers. Whereas, for two-wheelers and three-wheelers, this fee has increased from Rs 20,000 to Rs 50,000.
The fees for other popular numbers have also been increased. The new fees for 16 popular numbers have been increased from Rs 70,000 to Rs 1 lakh for four-wheelers and from Rs 15,000 to Rs 25,000 for two-wheelers. Additionally, the fees for 49 other numbers have also been increased from Rs 50,000 to Rs 70,000, and by Rs 15,000 for two and three-wheelers.
For another category of 189 registration numbers, such as ‘0011’, ‘0022’, ‘0088’, ‘0200’, ‘0202’, ‘4242’, ‘5656’, and ‘7374’, the revised fees will be Rs 25,000 for four-wheelers and Rs 6,000 for two-wheelers and more than one wheeler.
VIP number transfer allowed
In addition, the state government has allowed the transfer of VIP numbers to immediate family members, such as husband-wife, son and daughter. Earlier, such transfer was prohibited.
New rules and extension of time period
Keeping in mind the convenience of vehicle owners, the government has extended the period for submitting vehicles with reserved numbers from 30 days to six months. Also, there will be no reservation of VIP numbers for government vehicles, although payment of fees may be waived through special orders, allowing allotment from any existing series.
Expectations of increase in revenue
This fee hike is expected to generate additional revenue for the state transport department. In the financial year 2017-18, the department earned Rs 139.20 crore from 1,83,794 cases of issuing registration numbers.
Invalid VIP number
Recently, controversial trainee IAS officer Pooja Khedkar allegedly used a VIP number plate with red and blue lights on a private car. This act was in violation of the Motor Vehicles Act. Pooja Khedkar’s provisional IAS candidature has been cancelled by UPSC on charges of cheating.
Source (PTI) (NDTV) (HINDUSTANTIMES)