Last week more than 40 taxis travelling from Bengaluru to Goa had to pay Rs. 10,000 as a fine because they did not have a special permit to cross the border. Taxi drivers did not comply because the State Transport Authority in Bengaluru and RTOs in other districts were closed for the long weekend. Also, the Karnataka transport authorities do not have an online portal to procure special permits.
Special permits are not being issued at check posts any more
The special permit, which used to cost about Rs. 100 to Rs. 200 can be bought at the RTO office at Shanthinagar in Bengaluru and RTOs in other parts of the state. Taxi drivers had left for Goa directly, thinking that they may be able to buy the permits at the check post. Many of the drivers believed that such a service existed until recently. But reports stated that the issuing of special permits at the checkpoints to grant entry into Goa was stopped since the start of this month.
The vice president of the Karnataka Tourism Forum, M Ravi said that neighbouring states Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have been issuing special permits online, however, Karnataka is yet to adopt the method.
Tourists are paying big fines due to unawareness
Unaware tourists are being forced to pay big fines to continue on with their planned vacations and penalties are imposed per each vehicle. As per the reports, the fines are even higher for bigger vehicles like vans and tourist buses. A taxi driver has to pay Rs. 10,000 while a van crossing the Goa border without a special permit has to pay more than Rs. 17,000, and tourist buses would have to give Rs. 25,000.
Special permits are now being issued online
The report stated that the transport department has already started issuing special permits to state vehicles online. But there is no connectivity at check-posts. An official from the department stated to the media that the issue is going to be resolved. As of right now, the State Transport Authority is issuing special permits to enter Goa in Bengaluru and RTOs in other districts.
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