Shift To TG In Telangana: How Will The Abbreviation Change Affect Old Vehicle Plates?

In a significant move, the Telangana government announced on Sunday its decision to change the state’s abbreviation from TS to TG.

This decision has raised questions among the public, particularly regarding whether the old vehicle number plates in Telangana need an update.

Under the new directive, vehicle registration numbers will now feature TG as a prefix. However, it’s important to note that this change will only be applicable to new vehicles. The existing number plates on old vehicles will remain unchanged, continuing to bear the old prefix.

This situation echoes the events of 2014 when Telangana was formed as a separate state. At that time, new registration number plates started incorporating the TS prefix, while the old vehicles retained the previous AP prefix.

Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy justified the decision, stating that the earlier choice of TS as the state abbreviation was made on a whim. He emphasized that no other state in the country includes the word state in its code.

The recent decision to adopt TG aligns with an announcement made by the Chief Minister during the assembly election campaign.

During the cabinet meeting, several other important decisions were made. The iconic Jaya Jaya He Telangana, a poem by poet Ande Sri that gained popularity during the Telangana movement, will now be officially recognised as the state song.

Furthermore, modifications to the Telangana Thalli (Telangana mother) statue will be undertaken to reflect the aspirations of the people.

Minister D Sridhar Babu, speaking to the Indian Express after the cabinet meeting, revealed that the Centre had issued a gazette notification in 2014 specifying the use of TG for number plates.

However, the TRS government at the time opted for TS to align with the party’s initials. He highlighted that at the height of the statehood agitation, people in Telangana had replaced the letters AP on vehicle number plates with TG as a form of protest.

Political observers, such as Prof K Nageshwar, view the recent decisions as an attempt by the Congress-led government to assert Telangana’s identity and differentiate itself from the TRS and its leader, KCR, Indian Express added.

Nageshwar noted that the adoption of Jaya Jaya He Telangana as the state song fulfils a longstanding demand, as it played a significant role during the statehood movement.

The Budget session of the Assembly, scheduled to commence on February 8, will likely see further discussions on these developments.