RTO makes gains in revenue collection as vehicle registration sees an uptick in Kashmir

Srinagar, Jun 03: The total number of vehicles on road in Kashmir is nearing to nine-lakhs as registrations for new cars sees an uptick in Kashmir, officials from Regional Transport Office (RTO) Kashmir said Monday.

This, the officials said has significantly increased the revenue of the department. With 73,000 new registrations, officials said the department collected an impressive Rs 421 crores during the 2023-24 fiscal year.

“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 during an annual meet chaired the Regional Transport Officer.

The officials attribute the surge in the revenue to road tax, the primary source of revenue, bringing in Rs 277 crore, stating that this substantial collection increased due to the registration of new vehicles.

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, reported news agency KNO.

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 fine 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.