he Transport department will start issuing green cards to commercial vehicles on Thursday for operation on Char Dham routes. The number of green cards to be issued is expected to be about 3,000 more this time than last year, the regional transport officer of Dehradun division Sunil Sharma said. He informed that the department issued a total of 25,588 green cards last year which is expected to be about 29,000 cards this year. Out of 25,588 green cards in 2023, the department issued about 15,000 cards for local operators of Uttarakhand and 10,000 cards to operators of other States. The department collected a revenue of about Rs 1.3 crore from the issuance of green cards. The cost of the green card for a small vehicle is Rs 450 and for bigger vehicles, it is Rs 650. All the eligible commercial vehicle operators can apply online for green cards from Thursday. The department expects to collect a revenue of about Rs 1.8 crore from the issuance of green cards this year. Sharma informed that as per the government guidelines, every commercial vehicle operator must obtain a green card from any nearest transport office in the State to be eligible to operate on Char Dham routes. The department issues a green card after inspection of the applicant’s vehicle that represents that he has all valid documents like a fitness certificate, route permit, tax deposit certificate, insurance certificate and driving license. He said that the department will also start issuing trip cards once the Char Dham Yatra starts in the State. The commercial vehicle operators have to provide information about the total passengers, their mobile numbers and other necessary details to get trip cards. It is to ensure vehicle operators do not violate rules to earn more money by putting passengers’ lives at risk, he added.