With a total of 577 vehicles registered till Sunday, Kohima topped vehicle registration in the state in 2024. As per information on the Vahan dashboard, out of the 577 vehicles registered with the Kohima Regional Transport Office (RTO), 491 comprised transport vehicles and 86 non-transport vehicles.
Kohima was followed by Dimapur RTO, which witnessed registration of 268 vehicles. This was followed by Mokokchung with 15 vehicle registrations, while no vehicle had been registered with Tuensang District Transport Office (DTO) so far.
In 2023, Kohima witnessed the highest registration of vehicles (13,0470, followed by Dimapur with 12,702 vehicles and Mokokchung with 822 vehicles, and least under Tuensang DTO with 86 vehicles registration.
Additionally, according to the data available on the Vahan dashboard since its launch in 2009, Nagaland witnessed a collective registration of 4,31,116 vehicles and 874 vehicles by January 14, 2024, while 27,220 vehicles were registered in 2023.
Further, during the period, there were 39,21,260 transactions, including activities such as car number exchanges, tax payments to RTO, and other related processes, while 14,057 transactions had been recorded so far. In 2023, the transaction figure stood at 4,06,413.
The overall cumulative value of transactions resulted in a revenue collection of Rs 12,81,71,35,904 to date. In 2024, the collected revenue stands at Rs 8, 37,21,469 as per the latest update, whereas the total revenue collected amounted to approximately Rs 2,23,62,31,805 in 2023.
The system also recorded the issuance of a total of 1,09,850 permits so far, with 232 permits being issued in 2024. In the previous year, 21,695 permits were issued.
As of the current date, there are 1,67,794 cases where individuals have failed to fulfil their tax obligations and have been considered tax defaulters.
Meanwhile, speaking to Nagaland Post, assistant RTO, Kohima Purnungsang Longkumer disclosed that as per the Motor Vehicle Act, there was no specific timeframe for usage of vehicles. However, he highlighted that the Regional Transport Authority (RTA) retained the authority to regulate and intervene as and when necessary.
He pointed out that although there had been discussions about scrutinising 15-year-old vehicles and potentially denying permits to such vehicles deemed unfit, this had not been effectively implemented. He however claimed that despite the lack of a specific time limit, the office routinely inspected older vehicles whose owners sought permits and that permits were issued if such vehicles were found to be in good condition. Otherwise, the matter was further investigated, he added.
Longkumer acknowledged the presence of enforcement personnel tasked with monitoring vehicles on the roads, but expressed concern about their limited numbers. Admitting the current shortage of enforcement personnel, he emphasised a robust enforcement team and stringent vehicle inspections.