Transport revenue to be Rs 1,200 crore short of target

Transport department will fall short of its target by Rs 1,200 crore, DyCM and Transport Minister Laxman Savadi said on Wednesday. The dip in revenue is attributed to the slump in auto sector resulting in the decline in vehicle sales during the financial year.

While the target set for 2019-20 was 6,701.96 crore, the department is expected to mop up around Rs 4,500 crore by the end of March. In 2018-19, the department had generated Rs 6,205.93 crore revenue against a target of Rs 6,167.61 crore.

Savadi said that vehicle registration numbers have improved since the turn of the new year. "Vehicle registrations were significantly less in November and December last year," he said.

The shortfall is expected to affect the upcoming budget of the State government as auto sector growth has declined in successive quarters.

On allegations that Savadi was pushing to acquire electric buses from an Hungarian firm, he said that the Department was yet to take a final call on the issue. "The question of seeking 4G exemption does not arise as we are yet to finalise whether the buses will be acquired via tender or by a government to government agreement," he said.

The Hungarian firm that has offered to supply electric-buses, he said was a government company which was keen on an agreement with the State government. "However, there are technical constraints for the same. Meanwhile, three-four other companies also have approached us to supply electric buses," he said.

On re-introducing the steep traffic fines introduced by the Centre, he said that the State will start imposing the fines stipulated by the Central government after awareness on traffic violations increased. "The fines have reduced cases of drunk driving already," he said, noting that State had decreased the fines to reduce burden on common man.