2020 saw 33% fewer vehicle registrations in Gautam Budh Nagar

Noida: There were fewer vehicle registries in Gautam Budh Nagar this year, as compared to last year. According to the transport department, about 60,000 vehicles

Noida: There were fewer vehicle registries in Gautam Budh Nagar this year, as compared to last year. According to the transport department, about 60,000 vehicles were registered this year, as compared to 90,000 last year. Officials said the reason behind this is the lockdown imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus (Covid-19) disease.

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AK Pandey, assistant regional transport officer (ARTO, administration), Gautam Budh Nagar, said that the department 33% fewer vehicles than the previous year. “These include two-wheelers, four-wheelers, autos, goods carriers, etc. The department’s revenue also decreased from Rs 325 crore in 2019 to Rs 216 crore in 2020,” he said.

The transport office was closed in April and May due to the lockdown. After restrictions eased, however, though owners have started registering their vehicles, fear of the pandemic and social distancing norms are keeping people away.

There are around 7.34 lakh vehicles registered in Gautam Buddha Nagar. The district transport department has 4,50,159 two-wheelers, 2,11,853 four-wheelers (private), 2,210 two-wheelers (commercial), 14,392 cabs, 17,720 good carrier, 18,393 autos, 5,045 e-rickshaws, 3,206 buses, 1,332 school buses, 490 ambulances, 7,291 tractors and 2,730 other vehicles registered with it.

Manish Shrivastava, general manager (sales), Ace Honda in Sector 11, said the pandemic did affect sales in the last few months. “We used to sell about 140 cars in a month before the pandemic. This has come down to 100 now. After Navratri got over, however, we did notice an uptick and more people are coming to buy cars,” he said. He added that as the demand has been less due to the pandemic, suppliers have also limited manufacturing accordingly.

Explaining the process of registration, Shrivastava said that when a customer makes the payment to buy a vehicle, the dealer gets his/her details such as ID card, photo and other required documents and applies for registration at www.vahan.nic.in using the dealer’s log in. The form is filled, registration amount is paid online and a slip is printed. The dealer then sends the file to the ARTO, which verifies the application and allots a registration number to the vehicle.

Since high security registration plates (HSRP) have been made mandatory, dealers apply for it on a separate portal and fix the HSRP on new vehicles. The entire process takes about a week’s time, he added.

Anurag Kulshrestha, president of TRAX, an NGO working towards road safety, said that he sees a positive sign in this registration data. “I find that most academic institutions and offices have still not opened their premises to employees or students, and a significant number of people work from home these days. The district saw fewer registrations this time due to this, which is a good sign, as regular working conditions mean more registrations, resulting in more vehicles on road,” he said.

He further said that 60,000 registrations despite the pandemic and lockdown also suggest, however, that instead of taking public transport, people are choosing to use private vehicles instead due to health concerns

He added that in the coming days, the number of registrations might increase.