Mubashir Alam Wani
Srinagar, Jun 3: The total vehicle population in Kashmir has surged nearly to 9 lakh with 73,000 fresh registrations recorded during the past year, bringing substantial revenue increase of Rs 277 crore, said an official.
According to the transport Department Kashmir, they have achieved a notable digital transformation, propelling its revenue collection to an impressive Rs 421 crore for the fiscal year 2023–24.
A top official from the transport department said that the achievement was highlighted during a recent annual meeting chaired by the Regional Transport Officer (RTO) and attended by Assistant Regional Transport Officers (ARTOs) and other key officials from the transport department of Kashmir division.
“There has been a significant revenue increase, up from Rs 314 crore in the previous year, to Rs 421 crore during 2023–24, marking a growth of over 33%, and that is driven by the department’s digital initiatives and improved service delivery,” the official said.
He said that among the key contributors to this revenue surge included road usage tax, the primary source of revenue, bringing in Rs 277 crore, stating that this substantial collection increased due to the registration of new vehicles, with 73,000 new registrations recorded in the past year, bringing the total vehicle population to nearly 9 lakhs.
Under the “Green Tax”, the official said that as a part of their effort to promote environmentally friendly practices, green tax collection brought in Rs 28 crore, stating that this tax is part of the MVD’s initiative to encourage sustainable transport solutions, including the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs).
Under the fresh permit fees, the official said that the issuance of fresh permits contributed Rs 61 crore to the revenue, as a total of 6,024 new permits were issued, with an additional 22,050 permits renewed, reflecting the department’s streamlined and efficient online permit processing system.
He said, despite being a relatively smaller component, the passenger tax added nearly Rs 6 crore to the revenue, stressing the district officers to focus on improving passenger tax collection further.
“The implementation of a fully online Challans system and strengthened enforcement measures led to the recovery of over Rs 5 crore through compound challans. This system has improved fine recovery and ensured timely disposal of service applications, with 98% of applications processed promptly,” he said.
