Bengaluru: Keralam-registered tourist buses allegedly pay monthly bribes of up to Rs 30,000 to cross the Attibele checkpost on Hosur Road and operate in Karnataka without facing enforcement action, according to a complaint alleging a nexus between middlemen and transport department officials.
Truck drivers recently protested against alleged demands for bribes and harassment by RTO officials and police at the Zalki checkpost in Vijayapura district.
Transport operators have previously demanded the removal of checkposts across Karnataka, alleging that they are used to extract money from interstate operators.
He further alleged that officials at RTOs, including those in Electronics City and Devanahalli, received Rs 5,000 to Rs 6,000 every month from each operator.
Complaints had been submitted to the Lokayukta and senior transport department officials, he said. Transport commissioner R Selvamani said he had instructed the additional commissioner to examine the complaint. Karnataka State Travel Operators Association president S Nataraj Sharma has filed a complaint seeking an independent investigation into the suspected involvement of regional transport office (RTO) officials and motor vehicle inspectors in the alleged racket.