'TS' To 'TG' Number Plate: Why Telangana Vehicle Registrations To Have TG As Prefix?

The Telangana Cabinet recently made significant decisions regarding vehicle registration and legislative sessions. It has been decided to replace the current 'TS' abbreviation with 'TG' on vehicle registration plates, reflecting the state's name. Additionally, the budget session of the Legislative Assembly is scheduled to commence from February 8.

While new guidelines are being drafted, existing number plates bearing 'TS' will not be altered. Only newly registered vehicles will feature the 'TG' prefix. Initially, there were concerns that old vehicles might also need to switch to the new series, incurring a cost of around Rs 400 per plate for owners. However, this will not be mandatory. With Telangana having over 1.60 crore vehicles and about 10,000 new registrations daily, only newly registered vehicles will receive the TG series.

Following Andhra Pradesh's bifurcation, 30 lakh vehicles retained AP plates. Currently, vehicles in Telangana display either AP (pre-June 2014) or TS plates. With the new decision, vehicles in Telangana will exhibit three registration codes: TS, AP, and TG, as many residents own vehicles with both TS and AP plates.

The decision to switch from 'TS' to 'TG' stems from Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy's rationale, who considered the previous choice of 'TS' arbitrary.

The ruling party at the time, Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS), opted for the abbreviation "TS" to represent Telangana when the state was formed in 2014 following its separation from Andhra Pradesh. Previously known as Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the party changed its name to align with its national aspirations.

According to CM Reddy, the choice of "TS" was made to align with the party's name, led by K Chandrasekhar.

IT Minister D Sridhar Babu briefed the media on the Cabinet's decisions, highlighting that the previous government's decision to adopt "TS" lacked adherence to any specific rules or regulations.

Every Indian state is represented by a two-letter abbreviation, such as AP for Andhra Pradesh, BR for Bihar, and MH for Maharashtra.

Following this decision, vehicle registration numbers will now feature "TG" as a prefix.