Fancy Spending Rs 15 Lakh On A Honda Activa?

Chandigarh man buys a special ‘0001’ number plate for his scooter at a government e-auction for Rs 15.44 lakh!  

How far are you willing to go to show your loyalty to the state? Some may argue that performing your basic civic duties with utmost diligence is enough, others may plant more trees, and some may recycle, but Brij Mohan from Chandigarh believes there is another way!

In a recent exercise to raise funds for the state, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar announced that his government will issue the coveted '0001' number plate on auction to the general public. With only 179 state government vehicles in the state bearing this badge, and given its exclusive nature, it’s certainly not something you can request your local RTO officer to sign off on, even with a fat wallet. So when the local authorities opened the doors to the most exclusive VIP club, Ad exec Brij Mohan was certainly not letting this opportunity slip by. 

The bid for the number plate was set at Rs 5 lakh and Mohan who is the owner of an advertising agency secured his bid at a whopping Rs 15.44 lakh (...only?)! And what makes this entire transaction even more baffling is the fact that this number will be first attached to a humble Honda Activa that he currently owns. Later this year, he plans on buying a new car and the number plate is likely to make its way on it post-purchase. 

CM Khattar is projecting a revenue gain of Rs 18 crore from this e-auction of ‘special’ number plates. Fancy number plates are common, spending a shiny penny for it is normal too, but this may be pushing things a bit too far.