Himachal Pradesh Hikes Commercial Vehicle Registration Application Fees Across 8 Categories; Fees Revised After 26 Years

Applying for commercial vehicle registration in Himachal Pradesh is set to become costlier as the state government has revised the application fees across multiple categories. The Transport Department has increased the fees in eight different categories as part of efforts to boost additional revenue.

Under the revised structure, the application fee in seven categories has been raised from Rs 20 to Rs 50. Meanwhile, the fee for registration applications related to private buses and commercial vehicles operated by private schools has seen a steep increase from Rs 50 to Rs 1,000.

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Officials said the fees had remained unchanged since 1999, and the government is now moving to revise them in view of changing administrative and financial requirements. The state government had earlier directed departments to explore ways to increase revenue generation while reducing expenditure.

Following these directions, the Transport Department prepared a proposal recommending a significant fee hike and submitted it to the government for approval.

According to department officials, a proposal had initially been made to increase the application fee uniformly to Rs 1,000. However, the state government rejected the proposal in its original form, citing concerns about placing an excessive financial burden on the public.

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The department estimated that the revised fee structure could generate nearly Rs 9 crore in additional annual revenue. It had also proposed an 8 to 10 per cent increase in vehicle registration charges, but the government did not approve that recommendation.