Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol, who is also the Member of Parliament from Pune, met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari as Pune's MH-12 vehicle registration series has neared exhaustion.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter) on Tuesday, Mohol wrote in Marathi, "The 'MH-12 ZZ' series is currently in use for new vehicle registrations at the Pune RTO. However, as this series is nearing exhaustion, the process of determining the subsequent series is underway. Against this backdrop, speculation had arisen regarding a potential change to Pune's RTO code, 'MH-12'. Given the sentiments of Pune's residents and the city's distinct identity, this matter was of great importance."
"Taking this issue seriously, I met Union Minister for Road Transport and Highways Nitin Gadkari. I earnestly requested that the 'MH-12' code, which has become synonymous with Pune's identity, should not be changed under any circumstances and urged him to take the necessary decision to launch the subsequent vehicle registration series under the same code," he added.
"Nitin Gadkari responded positively to the matter and assured that the necessary instructions would be issued to retain the 'MH-12' code. This has paved the way for the continued use of the 'MH-12' code, thereby preserving Pune's identity," Mohol further said.
Earlier, Pune Regional Transport Officer Swapnil Bhosale told The Free Press Journal that there were two proposals. The first option is a three-letter series, under which registration numbers would follow a format such as MH-12-AAA-1234. However, officials believe the longer combination of letters and numbers could create technical challenges for the administration. The second option is to start a new MH series.
