The hottest number in town is “0001” and it carries a price tag of Rs 16 lakh.
A private company in the hospitality sector paid as much during the Delhi Government’s e-auction this month for fancy registration numbers for cars, breaking previous records in the national capital.
The sought-after “0001” series sold for Rs 12.50 lakh in September 2014 and fetched Rs 12.10 lakh in next year’s auction in the city.
The auction brings a windfall to the government’s exchequer and gratifies people’s desire for special digits on number plates — from date of birth to astrological and numerological numbers that are believed to bring prosperity.
“In just six months we earned Rs 54.70 lakh by selling 29 fancy registration numbers. Last year, we sold 151 and earned Rs 2.29 crore.
The demand increases during winters and the festive season such as Diwali when car sales also peak,” said KK Dahiya, the city’s special commissioner of transport.
A Bond-style “0007” and a “0009” are equally preferred. The highest for “0007” was Rs 10.40 lakh in 2015 and Rs 8.50 lakh for “0009” the previous year.
These tier-two numbers were bought this year for Rs 4.10 lakh and Rs 3.90 lakh.
The base auction price for “0001” is Rs 5 lakh, while those from “0002” to “0009” start at Rs 3 lakh. In the third category, bids for numbers such as 0786, popular among Muslims meaning Allah, start at Rs 2 lakh.
