Hyderabad Car Owner Pays Record Rs 25.5 Lakh for Fancy '9999' Plate in Online Auction

A record-breaking Rs 25.5 lakh was paid for the coveted '9999' fancy registration number in an online auction conducted by the Telangana State Road Transport Authority. The high bid underscores the growing trend and craze for unique vehicle numbers, with the RTA clocking significant revenue from the event.

A car owner has paid Rs 25.5 lakh to get a fancy registration number of '9999' for his vehicle in a bidding held here, Telangana State Road Transport Authority officials said on Tuesday. Hyderabad Joint Transport Commissioner C Ramesh said in the online auction for fancy registration numbers, '9999' was taken for the highest bid amount wherein the car owner paid Rs 25,50,002 for the number plate 'TG-09 9999' for his high-end vehicle, to the department. As many as 11 people participated in the fancy number auction '9999' held on Monday and the number fetched Rs 25.5 lakh.

''So far this is the highest bid amount for a fancy number, which is a record in Telangana,'' the official told PTI. Earlier in August last year, the '9999' number had fetched Rs 21.6 lakh. The official further said anyone interested in the fancy number can reserve it by paying Rs 50,000 and participate in the bidding if there are more bidders. The Khairatabad Road Transport Authority (RTA) office clocked a revenue of over Rs 43 lakh during the auction for other fancy numbers on Monday.

The Congress government in Telangana had in March this year changed the vehicle registration code to TG from TS.