Driving from Bengaluru to Goa? Be ready to pay ₹10,000 fine, if without permit

Unaware taxi drivers who were looking to enter Goa from Karnataka were fined about Rs10,000 as they had to get a special permit to cross the border.

Last week over 40 taxis travelling from Bengaluru to Goa had to shell out ₹10,000 as a fine for not obtaining a special permit to cross the border. Taxi drivers failed to comply because the State Transport Authority in Bengaluru and RTOs in other districts were closed for the long weekend. Moreover, Karnataka transport authorities do not have an online portal to procure special permits.

Around 40 taxis were stopped at the Mollem checkpost in Goa since last Thursday (Representational Image | PTI)

The special permit, which normally costs ₹100 to ₹200 can be bought at the RTO office at Shanthinagar in Bengaluru and RTOs in other parts of the state. Taxi drivers had reportedly left for Goa directly, hoping that they might be able to buy the permits at the check post. Many believed that such a service existed until recently. But reports said that issuing special permits at the checkpoints to grant entry into Goa has stopped since the beginning of the month.

The New Indian Express quoted M Ravi, the vice president of the Karnataka Tourism Forum, as saying that, neighbouring states Andhra Pradesh and Kerala have been issuing special permits online, however, Karnataka is yet to adopt the method. 

Unaware tourists are being forced to pay huge fines to go on with their planned vacations and penalties are imposed per vehicle. Reports also added that the fines become higher for bigger vehicles such as vans and tourist buses. A taxi driver has to pay ₹10,000. Whereas a van crossing the Goa border without a special permit would have to hand over Rs. 17,000, and tourist buses would have to cough up Rs. 25,000.

The report said 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 told the media that the issue will be resolved. Currently, the State Transport Authority is issuing special permits to enter Goa in Bengaluru and RTOs in other districts.