Guwahati: Assam's transport sector is growing at a pace of 30-40% over the past two years.

This was recently announced by Assam state transport secretary Adil Khan while speaking at the SAFE convention in Guwahati.

 "The transport department has evolved into a significant revenue-earning entity for the state, and we have taken significant steps to enhance transparency in our operations," Khan told Business Northeast. “This extraordinary journey of transformation in the state's transportation sector can be attributed to the visionary leadership of Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma,” he said.

 One of the major milestones in this transformation journey was the introduction of cashless transactions for various fees, taxes, and fines related to transportation. The entire revenue collection process is now digitized, ensuring ease of transactions for both the department and the public.

 The revolution of contactless services began in September 2021, with the goal of making services like driver's license issuance completely contactless. In just one-and-a-half years, an impressive 50 contactless services have been introduced, benefiting over 25 lakh citizens.

 When the state government embraces new technology, it is bound to percolate down to the grassroots.

 The department has introduced new technology to streamline vehicle fitness certification processes. The adoption of the m-Parivahan app, launched by union minister for road transport, highways and shipping, Nitin Gadkari has replaced manual procedures.

 Moreover, public-private partnerships have facilitated the establishment of automated testing stations. E-ticketing systems are set to revolutionize ferry services, Assam Transport Services, and private city buses, said Khan.

Under Sarma's guidance, the state has embarked on a comprehensive transformation journey that heavily relied on technology integration to modernize the transport sector.

 Khan highlighted the department's focus on transparency.  Another significant digital initiative is the Digilocker, which allows citizens to securely store their Aadhar cards and ATM cards.

“In the coming days, the Transport Department plans to issue PDF copies of licenses and registration certificates directly to users' mobile phones,” said Khan. To expand its reach, the department has partnered with Common Services Centres, establishing a network of approximately 20,000 centres, said Khan. The transport department is also prioritised Ease of Doing Business (EODB). It currently offers 400 services across the department to facilitate businesses and citizens.

"Assam made headlines with its scrappage policy (for vehicles over 15 years) introduced in July of the previous year. This policy aims to encourage high investments in the industry and has given rise to the first-of-its-kind registered vehicle scrappage facility in eastern India, established by Mr. Goenka from KD Ecosystem in Guwahati," Khan has said.

Under the scrappage policy, a 75% waiver is offered on the total outstanding value, incentivizing the scrapping of older vehicles and promoting a greener environment. In line with this Green agenda, the introduction of a Green tax is set to further drive environmentally conscious decisions, feels Khan. Looking ahead, the scrappage policy is poised to give a significant boost to the electric vehicle (EV) segment also, according to Khan. “The transport department is committed to offering attractive incentives for EVs, thus contributing to the state's sustainable and eco-friendly future,” said the transport secretary.