PANAJI
The fad to own and drive foreign cars among Goans has proven lucrative for the State government with its Transport Department raking in nearly Rs 22 crore in three years on this count.
According to information furnished to the Goa legislative Assembly by Transport Minister Mauvin Godinho, the department netted Rs 21.92 crore from its various levies to register vehicles imported by residents of the State.
Godinho said, as many as 394 two-wheelers and four-wheelers were imported in the last three years.
It is not uncommon for the rich and famous to be spotted in plush imported cars and SUVs. Many Goan politicians and famous businessmen are known for their fad to drive Lamborghinis, Porsches and Jaguars.
Meanwhile, the RTO in these three years earned Rs 63 crore, almost 70 per cent of it in 2022 and 2023 in fines levied on traffic violators.
In the two Covid-19 pandemic years of 2020 and 2021, collection of fines had dropped to below Rs 10 crore in each of the two years. It however shot up to over Rs 21 crore in 2022 and an identical over Rs 21 crore in just six months of the current year.
Also, the revenue earned from fining violators in South Goa is almost thrice the amount recovered in fines from North Goa, statistics provided by Godinho revealed.
