Image of a car with HR-88-B-8888 as a number plate for representational purposes.
Credit: AI Image
Chandigarh: Haryana Transport Minister Anil Vij on Wednesday directed officials to check a man's income and paying capacity who bid a whopping Rs 1.17 crore for a fancy vehicle number but failed to pay up by the deadline.
Last week, the man, who lives in Hisar, was declared a successful bidder after he made the highest bid for the registration number HR-88-B-8888.
He was supposed to make the payment by Monday after having initially paid Rs 1,000 as the participation fee and Rs 10,000 as the security deposit to take part in the online bidding process.
The Badhra sub-division in Charkhi Dadri district had fetched the highest bid amount of Rs 1.17 crore for the registration number after the Hisar resident's bid.
On Wednesday, Vij took note of the winner of the bid failing to pay the amount within the stipulated time.
"I have issued strict instructions to Transport Department officials to check the bidder's actual income and property. It must be confirmed whether the person really has the financial capacity to bid Rs 1.17 crore," he said.
His security deposit of Rs 10,000 will stand forfeited, and the number will be reauctioned in the auction process.
The minister said that fancy numbers in Haryana are allotted only through auctions.
People often make very high bids to obtain these numbers, an act that also helps the state earn revenue, he said.
He, however, added that the recent incident indicates that some individuals are treating the auction process casually, merely as a show, not a responsibility.
He added that a written request is being sent to the Income Tax Department for a thorough investigation so that no one in the future participates in auctions on false financial claims or without sufficient economic ability.