KOLKATA: The number of vehicle registrations in Bengal this July — and revenue from it — has exceeded that of July last year despite a record spike in fuel prices that saw the price of petrol cross the 100-rupee mark per litre, with experts attributing this to a fear of using public transport after a devastating second wave of the pandemic, and ahead of an imminent third wave.
Two-wheelers have seen the highest spurt in sales, followed by four-wheelers.
In Kolkata, too, revenue from vehicle registrations has been higher this July compared with July 2020 and 2019, with the number of registrations more than that of July 2020. “It is surprising, considering people underwent pay-cuts and job-losses,” said Sharif Qamar, fellow and area convener, Centre for Sustainable Mobility, TERI. “But personal vehicles are being preferred to avoid the risk of infection in public transport. This trend, however, needs to be studied further,” he added.
A senior officer of the transport department, too, said the increase in registrations was, on the face of it, surprising. “Last year, when sales started picking momentum, we thought it was pent-up demand pushing up sales. But this year, we cannot say that. We did not have a total lockdown and the restriction on movement was limited to a month and a half only,” he said.
The growth in registration was higher in two-wheelers than four-wheelers, while there has been a significant drop in the registration of heavy vehicles.
“One of the sorry outcomes of the pandemic is a shift from public transport to personal vehicles,” said transportation expert Anumita Roychowdhury of Centre for Science and Environment. “It is particularly relevant for Kolkata, which has the unique advantage of having a robust public transport system. But people are scared of Covid transmission, which has perhaps driven many to buy their own vehicles. The shift means more personalized vehicles on the road, more congestion and more pollution,” she said.
At Kolkata PVD, the number of new registered vehicles in July was 3,249, compared with 3,078 in July 2020 and 3,531 in July 2019. The revenue this July was Rs 25 crore, compared with Rs 15.6 crore in July 2020 and Rs 18 crore in July 2019. In Bengal, the number of vehicle registrations was 90,957 this July, 77,343 in July 2020 and 1,18,036 in July 2019. Revenue this July was Rs 234 crore, while it was Rs 178.8 crore and 208 crore in July 2020 and July 2019.
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“Registrations of vehicles have for the first time shown an upward trend during the pandemic and surpassed pre-Covid figures,” said a senior RTO official. Also, the registrations last month were 104% higher than those in July 2020.