Allegations that Kerala-registered tourist buses paid monthly bribes of up to Rs 30,000 to cross Karnataka’s Attibele checkpost have prompted the state transport department to order an examination of the complaint. The complaint alleges that private intermediaries collected payments through UPI from bus operators and assured them that their vehicles would avoid enforcement action on routes across Karnataka.
Karnataka State Travel Operators Association president S Nataraj Sharma filed the complaint, seeking an independent investigation into the suspected involvement of regional transport office officials and motor vehicle inspectors. The allegations relate to buses entering Karnataka through the Attibele checkpost on Hosur Road and subsequently operating towards destinations including Devanahalli.
According to the complaint, operators transferred between Rs 16,000 and Rs 30,000 every month to a private intermediary. The allegations reportedly emerged during discussions in the ‘Bus Owners of India’ WhatsApp group concerning All India Tourist Permits and alleged harassment by enforcement authorities.
One operator allegedly claimed to have paid Rs 26,000 a month to facilitate the movement of buses from Attibele towards Devanahalli. The operator reportedly shared screenshots of the payments and alleged that a woman RTO official in Devanahalli continued to harass operators despite the payments. Another operator allegedly said that he paid approximately Rs 30,000 per bus every month, while a third claimed to have paid around Rs 16,000 a month to cross the state border.
The complaint further alleges that operators who refused to pay the intermediary faced the risk of having their buses detained and taken to an RTO office, where they could be asked to pay substantial sums towards taxes and other dues. Sharma alleged that a person identified as Guru, whom he claimed was related to RTO officials, collected around Rs 30,000 a month from operators through Google Pay. According to the allegation, the intermediary assured operators that they would not have to pay taxes to the state government.
Sharma also alleged that officials at RTO offices, including those in Electronics City and Devanahalli, received between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 every month from each operator. He said complaints had been submitted to the Lokayukta and senior officials in the transport department.
Transport commissioner R Selvamani said he had instructed the additional commissioner to examine the complaint. The supplied report does not establish whether the alleged payments were made, whether any officials were involved, or whether the claims have resulted in a formal criminal case or departmental action.
The allegations come amid earlier demands from transport operators for the removal of checkposts across Karnataka. Operators have alleged that such facilities are used to extract money from interstate vehicle operators. Truck drivers had also recently protested against alleged demands for bribes and harassment by RTO officials and police at the Zalki checkpost in Vijayapura district.
The additional commissioner’s examination will determine the next official steps on the Attibele allegations, including whether the payment records and identities of the alleged intermediaries and officials are investigated further.
