Chandigarh Administration to amend e-auction policy for fancy numbers

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 27

The UT Administration is set to amend its e-auction policy for special and fancy registration numbers following a significant financial loss. An audit report has revealed that the Registration and Licensing Authority (RLA) has suffered a loss of Rs 67 lakh in the financial year 2022-23 due to the non-recovery of fees for these numbers, along with accrued interest and penalties.

In response, the RLA has proposed a policy amendment that mandates the surrender of any allotted fancy number if the allottee does not claim it within one month. Previously, numbers were not surrendered if not claimed within this time frame, which led to considerable financial losses for the authority.

A senior officer confirmed that the proposal has been submitted to higher authorities for approval. “By surrendering the number after one month, we can allot the number to another allottee,” the officer stated.

The audit report highlighted that many successful bidders only deposited the reserve amount for their chosen numbers, leaving the balance amount unpaid for periods ranging from 365 to 619 days.

The Administration has fixed the reserve price for non-transport vehicles against each special number. Under the current terms and conditions of the online e-auction, successful bidders must register their vehicle and deposit the remaining bidding amount within one month of the auction date. Failure to do so incurs a penalty of 10% per annum and normal interest rates (10% per annum) on the outstanding balance. If the highest bidder is unable to claim the number, the deposited amount is forfeited.

The proposed amendments are aimed at streamlining the process and prevent future financial losses, ensuring that unclaimed numbers can be quickly reallocated to other interested parties.

RLA proposal

The RLA has proposed a policy amendment that mandates the surrender of any allotted fancy number if the allottee does not claim it within one month. Previously, numbers were not surrendered if not claimed within this time frame, which led to considerable financial losses for the authority.

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