There is a huge flow of tourists from Karnataka to Goa on a daily basis and those who are not aware of what is Permit and how to get one before making plans to Goa must read this article or else you might end up paying a hefty fine while entering in Goa.
According to the report, now the travelers from Karnataka will need to get a special permit to enter the Goan territory and those who are unaware will end up paying a big sum on the Goa border. There are cases of around 40 Taxis being stopped at the Mollem Checkpoint in Goa in just one day and were finned Rs 10,000 since they were not carrying the special permit to enter Goa.
Goa is a famous gateway for tourists from Karnataka and other neighboring states, especially during the long weekends. Since the tourists were not aware of the special permit they had to shell out 10,262 upon entering Goan Territory.
The reason behind not being able to obtain the special permit is said to be the closure of the RTO offices were closed since Thursday after the Ambedkar Jayanti followed by Good Friday, stated the sources also the IT Hub of India surprisingly does not have online portals to procure the special permits.
The cost of the special permit is only 100 to 200 rupees but compared to that the fine is a hundredfold which does not have any justification, said one of the taxi Drivers from Karnataka. “We thought that we will be able to buy the permits at the Goa check-post but they were unaware of a new development in Goa under which the services of issuing special permits had been stopped since the beginning of the month,” said the sources.
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.
The fine of 10 thousand rupees is only for the tourist cabs while the charges vary depending on the size and type of vehicles, for example, the tempo traveler and tourist buses have to pay from Rs. 17,000 to 25,000 respectively.
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.
