Himachal to launch portal for luxury buses from other states: Agnihotri
Himachal deputy CM Mukesh Agnihotri said there used to be a portal of the Centre for such buses, but that has been removed as well
The Himachal government will start a portal to regulate luxury buses from other states operating within the hill state, deputy chief minister Mukesh Agnihotri said while talking to the media on Sunday.
“The Centre’s policy for regulating deluxe buses coming from other states is creating hurdles. Questions are often raised about such buses. The Centre’s policy for them is that once the operators deposit ₹3 lakh with them, they can run buses anywhere,” he said.
Agnihotri also holds the transport portfolio.
“The state government has imposed special tax on these buses, and the transport department has earned about ₹17 crore from it. There is a difference of opinion with the Centre regarding this,” he added.
The deputy CM said there used to be a portal of the Centre for such buses, but that has been removed as well.
‘Target of ₹1,000 crore revenue’
Agnihotri said the transport department generated a revenue of ₹912 crore in the 2024-25 financial year, ₹132 crore more than the year before.
“The transport department has set a target of generating ₹1,000 crore this fiscal. So far, they have already earned ₹150 crore,” Agnihotri added.
He said that in past year, about 1.5 lakh new vehicles have been registered in the state, taking the total number of registered vehicles to 23 lakh. He said one lakh people got their driving licences, taking the number of license holders in the state to 16 lakh. He said the department has set a target of creating 1,000 new routes for the coming year.
