The registration of new vehicles took a nosedive during the lockdown. In April, on an average, only 570 vehicles were registered every day. In May, when lockdown restrictions were eased, it rose to 1,200 a day. However, the numbers are still low when compared with the same period last year, where every day 4,400 new vehicles were registered at RTOs.
This drastic fall has resulted in lower revenue generation for the Transport Department. The State government had set a revenue target of ₹7,115 crore for the current fiscal year, which on an average comes to ₹592 crore per month. However, due to lockdown, the department managed to generate only ₹148 crore in April and ₹185 crore in May. In Karnataka, 17,147 new vehicles were registered in April and 37,278 in May this year.
Transport Commissioner N. Shivakumar told The Hindu that those who had bought Bharat Stage-IV (BS-IV) vehicles in March but were unable to register them due to lockdown, have been granted an extension. “Compared to April, there was an increase in tax collection in May. The department had managed to generate one-third of the revenue target,” he said.
In the previous fiscal, the department managed 94% of the revenue target, which was ₹7,100 crore. In his budget speech, Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa has fixed revenue target of ₹7,115 crore for the current financial year.
In Bengaluru
Officials say Bengaluru usually accounts for half of the share in registration of new vehicles, but it dropped drastically during the two months. Prior to the lockdown, on an average, 1,400 new vehicles were registered in the city. However, during the lockdown, only around 400 to 500 vehicles were registered per day. As per data from the Transport Department, till March 2020, there were 2.26 crore vehicles registered in the State of which 86.42 lakh were registered in Bengaluru alone.
Officials optimistic
The department, however, is banking on more people opting for private vehicles. “The pandemic has made its impact on various sectors. Now, the government has eased the lockdown norms and people are getting back to their normal routine. People may opt for personalised vehicles, especially two-wheelers for their commute in the coming days. Revenue generation may increase in coming months,” said an official.
