Craze for vanity numbers on the wane; thanks to sluggish economy
The auction of vanity vehicle registration numbers at the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA) on Saturday and Sunday got a lukewarm response as the most sought-after ‘0001’ of the ‘CH-01-BE’ series went for just Rs 4.70 lakh, the lowest in the previous three auctions.
The auction of vanity vehicle registration numbers at the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA) on Saturday and Sunday got a lukewarm response as the most sought-after ‘0001’ of the ‘CH-01-BE’ series went for just Rs 4.70 lakh, the lowest in the previous three auctions.
Moreover, it has also come to the fore that the craze of vanity number has also been diminishing due to sluggish economy, especially the real estate market. The RLA officials claimed that craze among the realtors of the tricity for vanity numbers was the sole force that had made the ‘0001’ go for whopping Rs 26 lakh in 2012. On Saturday, realtor Navjot Saini had bought the number for Rs 4.7 lakh.
The numbers were fetching lesser bids as the bidders’ count was on the decline. On Saturday only three bidders vied for “0001”. In the previous auction of CH-01-BD series held on August 1, four bidders participated and for CH-01BC series on May 9, there were five participants. For the CH-01 BB series, eight bidders took part on February 7. Number ‘0001’ had fetched RLA Rs 8.75 lakh, Rs 8 lakh, Rs 5.1 lakh and Rs 4.7 lakh for different series over the months.
The number ‘0003’ for CH01-BB series had fetched Rs 5.1 lakh and on Saturday it went for Rs 1.5 lakh (CH01-BE series).
RLA in-charge Kashish Mittal said the earnings might have come down, but still people have craze for vanity numbers.