Chandigarh’s vehicle population creates new record at 11.7 lakh

The figures indicate that over 4,000 new vehicles were registered every month adding to the city roads. This includes cars, jeeps, motorcycles, scooters, three wheelers, buses, tractors and goods vehicles. Also, going by the figures collected from RLA, it shows that more two wheelers were registered as compared to the four wheelers.

UT Registering and Licensing Authority informed that approximately 200 new vehicles are registered at the RLA offices on a daily basis. Of the total number of vehicles registered in the city till date, 60 per cent are two wheelers. As many as 24,420 scooters and motorcycles were registered in the year 2013, while only 18,914 four wheelers were registered in the same year.

On an average, city is witnessing an addition of more than 45,000 new vehicles being registered annually. A total of 45,403 vehicles were registered in the year 2013, while, 51,468 in 2012; 48,755 in 2011 and 50,460 vehicles in 2010.

With traffic snarls becoming a common scene in the city, it seems difficult to deal with the rising vehicular population. The increasing number of vehicles every year is leading to the chaos on roads, especially during the office hours in morning and evening.

Over the past 14 years, Chandigarh’s vehicle ownership has incredibly increased manifold. The data shows that the vehicle registration has witnessed a considerable rise from the year 2000 to 2013 as in 2000, only 25,000 vehicles were registered in a year, while in 2013, as many as 45,403 vehicles were registered. The officials informed that from January 2014 to June 2014, approximately 20,000 vehicles must have been registered already.

Last year, the UT Administration had rationalised the road tax such that who buys high-end vehicles have to pay more and those who buy mid-segment vehicles have to shell out less. For registering a four-wheeler costing above Rs 20 lakh, one has to pay 8 per cent of the cost of the vehicle as road tax in the city.

Similarly, for two-wheelers costing upto Rs 1 lakh, one has to pay 3 per cent and for two-wheelers costing between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 4 lakh, one has to pay 4 per cent as road tax, and for those costing above Rs 4 lakh, one has to pay 5 per cent of the cost of the vehicle as road tax.