September 2, 2018
Boost to transport infrastructure in Bangla, thanks to increase in revenue collection
Over the last seven years, since the Trinamool Congress took over the running of the State Government, the revenue of the Transport Department has seen a steady climb as a result of better implementation of rules. This revenue the Government has put to use to create a better infrastructure.
The department regularly conducts drives to ensure compliance of various rules, including vehicle registration fees, driving licence fees, fine against overloading, etc. Motor vehicle inspectors (MVI) maintain a vigil. Around 200 MVIs will join the existing strength in September.
From Rs 960 crore in the 2011-12 fiscal (the last year of the Left Front rule), revenue generation increased to an impressive Rs 2,292 crore in 2017-18. It is expected to touch Rs 2,500 crore in 2018-19, according to Transport Department officials.
So in 2017-18, the average revenue for the department per month was Rs 191 crore. In just the first four months of the current fiscal, that is, 2018-19, that figure has increased to Rs 210 crore.
With the increase in revenue generation, the department has taken several measures to improve infrastructure in the transport sector. Besides adding 1,200 buses in the past seven years, it has extended financial support to the police for creating the necessary infrastructure for checking road accidents as a part of the Safe Drive Save Life campaign. Moreover, e-buses and CNG buses have also been introduced.
The funding for creating this infrastructural support for the sector is created out of the Transport Department’s budget, which has increased several times. In comparison, the erstwhile Left Front government used to take loan to buy buses that had led to a debt of Rs 132 crore.
Source: Millennium Post
