Super profit for RMV by selling special numbers

The Department of Motor Traffic has succeeded in generating a massive income of Rs. 11.8 billion during the past four years through a system of issuing special vehicle registration numbers. It was revealed by the relevant departmental officials before the Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance that this income was earned by reserving special number plates that are 100,000 numbers ahead of the existing normal number sequence.

Data confirms that many vehicle owners have obtained numbers for their vehicles under this special facility. Accordingly, these numbers were issued for 11 vehicles in 2023 and 46 vehicles in 2024, and by the year 2025, the demand has rapidly increased to 692 vehicles. Furthermore, during the elapsed period of this year alone, special numbers have been obtained for 436 vehicles. The Parliamentary Committee on Public Finance has officially granted its approval to the Department of Motor Traffic to charge one million rupees (ten lakhs) for reserving a special number by going 100,000 numbers ahead.

Under this fee structure, a minimum of Rs. 100,000 must be paid to obtain a number beyond the existing normal sequence. Opportunities were provided to purchase a number within the next 10,000 for Rs. 100,000, a number within the next 20,000 for Rs. 200,000, and so on. A sum of one million rupees was charged for obtaining numbers between the next 50,000 and 100,000. 

However, another special point that came to attention when the relevant officials were summoned before the committee was that these charges had been levied for nearly three years without the publication of an official gazette notification. This process of issuing special numbers is not applicable to vehicle categories such as motorcycles, three-wheelers, and three-wheeler vans, but any other motor vehicle outside these categories will have the opportunity to obtain these special number plates after paying the prescribed fee.