The craze for fancy number plates is catching up in Bihar.
The Telegraph has learnt from sources that a top minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet wants his new car's registration number to bear "9999" - a series that has not even opened in Bihar. But the leader is hardly the only one with such a prayer.
An SUV owner in Patna, who does not want to be named, said he paid for a registration number of his choice for his vehicle - 1111 - when he bought it in 2015. "I bought the vehicle for around Rs 10 lakh. So, paying for a number plate of my preference didn't seem like a waste of money," said the SUV owner. "When the digits on my registration plate are added, the sum stands at 4, my lucky number. I waited for more than two weeks. Neither the added cost nor the hassles of obtaining the number was a dampener."
An official in the Patna district transport office said in the 2016-17 fiscal, the department had generated more than Rs 25 lakh by allotting numbers of choice. "The government has a policy regarding fancy numbers," said Patna district transport officer Ajay Kumar Thakur. "0001 is the costliest number and one has to shell out Rs 25,000. Similarly, for numbers from '0002' to '0011', the price tag is Rs 15,000. For numbers between '0011' to '0100' you have to shell Rs 10,000."
His predecessor, Dinesh Kumar Rai, said: "There is a provision to bypass the running queue and get a registration number out of turn. The process requires Rs 5,000. If a person wants a registration plate with repetitive digits, it will be available for a payment of Rs 10,000."
Officials in the transport office said numbers like "9009" are always in demand and most people with a new bike or a car are not averse to pay extra for a registration of choice. Ujjwal, an employee at Karlo Automobiles in SK Puri, said: "While numerology or good luck are common reasons behind choice numbers, some people also think the registration plates with unique numbers make it easier to recognise the vehicles." An official in the district transport office said requesting for "fancy" registration numbers is "not just about flaunting a VIP number but often about numerological advice. There is no dearth of people wishing for these "fancy numbers", he stressed.
Astrologer Kavita Mehta, who has been approached several times for advice on vehicle numbers, said: "Unlike five years ago, when only VIPs would invest in such sequences, now even the common people have started consulting me on whether a number series is compatible with their horoscope. They believe such numbers will add value to their life and improve their luck."
The number 9, she said, symbolises speed and power while 1 is representative of the sun and symbolises authority. "These are the two most preferred digits people want on their registration plates," Mehta said.
"A number of people come to us astrologers asking about suitable vehicle registration numbers," said Pandit Mukesh Gaur, another astrologer in Patna. "Each number has its own significance in astrology. The craze is not limited to the rich as scores of middle-class people are now willing to cough up extra bucks in the hope of turning the wheels of fortune in their favour."
