Only 3 commercial vehicles from other States applied for green cards to operate during Char Dham Yatra
Tuesday, 16 APRIL 2024 | PNS | DEHRADUN
Though the application process for the commercial vehicle operators to get green cards to operate on Char Dham routes started on April 4, the Transport department has been receiving a lacklustre response from the operators due to the ensuing Lok Sabha elections. The department was expecting to issue more green cards this time than last year but so far, it received only 36 applications from the vehicle operators in the past 12 days. Out of the 36 applications, 28 applications are for private taxis and one is for a bus, the nodal officer of Char Dham Yatra and regional transport officer (Administration) of Dehradun division Sunil Sharma said. He said that out of these 36 applications, only three applications belong to operators of other States. According to him, the main reason for the fewer applications for green cards is the requisition of vehicles by the department for LS elections. As soon as the election is completed in the State on April 19 the number of applications for green cards is expected to increase soon, he said. However, this might be an issue as elections in many states are scheduled to be held in May and June which are the peak months for people to visit Char Dham shrines as pilgrims and tourists. Even if the elections are completed in Uttarakhand, the requisition process of vehicles will be going on in other states. This is expected to affect the application process for green cards which is an important document to operate on Char Dham routes. Last year, the department issued about 40 per cent or about 10,000 green cards to vehicle operators belonging to other states. The department was also expecting to issue about 3,000 more green cards to vehicle operators this time than last year. Talking about the issue, the RTO said that applications are expected to increase after April 19 and the department has also started raising awareness among people regarding green card applications. If the department has prior knowledge of how many vehicles are expected to operate during Char Dham Yatra, it helps in making the necessary arrangements accordingly. There is certainly a dip in green card applications than last year but it is expected to get better from next week, he added.
