BENGALURU: Private transport operators have sought an independent inquiry into allegations that some Regional Transport Office (RTO) officials and Inspectors of Motor Vehicles (IMVs), through an intermediary, collected monthly bribes from Kerala-registered tourist bus operators to allow their movement in Karnataka.
In a complaint to the Transport Commissioner submitted on Tuesday, S Nataraja Sharma, president of the Federation of Private Transport Organisations, alleged that an intermediary was collecting payments on UPI from operators at some locations, including Attibele, Electronics City, Majestic and Devanahalli. The allegations are yet to be verified.
Citing discussions in a WhatsApp group of bus owners and operators, Sharma said some operators had reported making monthly payments ranging from Rs 16,000 to Rs 30,000. One operator associated with Diya Travels allegedly paid Rs 26,000 a month and shared payment screenshots. An operator from Sona Travels claimed to have paid around Rs 30,000 per bus every month.
The complaint alleges that buses operating without making the purported payments were detained and taken to RTO offices, where operators were asked to pay substantial sums for their release under the guise of taxes and other demands. It also cites an allegation that collections were divided in a 60:40 ratio, with 60 per cent attributed to tax and 40 per cent allegedly collected as bribe.