Vijayawada: With the opening of new vehicle registration series, the district transport department is eyeing huge revenue from auction of fancy numbers. The new registration series, AP 16 ER, was released on February 16, and the first 150 numbers were put on auction.The online bidding and allotment of fancy numbers has begun, and the transport department has already made about Rs 30 lakh from the auction of 50 numbers in the first two days itself.Officials say numerology plays a big role in the rising demand for fancy numbers. Deputy transport commissioner for Krishna district, E Meera Prasad, said people have their own reasons for choosing fancy numbers, and most of them are based on superstition. Some people think a particular number will bring them luck, while others like to flaunt fancy numbers.“Based on the demand, we have categorised the numbers,” said Meera Prasad. “The reservation charges for numbers starts from Rs 5,000 and goes up to Rs 50,000. If more people opt for the same number, they have to submit their bids, and the highest bidder is allotted the number.”Single digit numbers, and also the numbers that add up to 9, are in high demand. While the number 9 fetched Rs 4.1 lakh, the number 9999 fetched a Rs 7.56 lakh in the auction.For the first time, Krishna district transport department is conducting the auction of fancy numbers completely online. The online services have been made available at all vehicle dealers, and people can choose a number of from the showroom itself, saving them the hassle of visiting the RTA office. Transport department officials said the demand for fancy numbers has come down after the registration of vehicles went online.

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