Chikkaballapur is a newly formed district in Karnataka. The district is set to welcome a pharmaceutical giant to set up their operations centre here. In order to help the industry, the local RTO office is upgrading traffic infrastructure to accommodate extensive traffic flow in the district. 

The district headquarters houses the KA-40 RTO office. It is responsible for maintaining the database of all the motor vehicles in the region. It further collects road tax on behalf of the Government of Karnataka.

The Chikkaballapur RTO office has responsibility for certain administrative duties. It includes:

• Give NOC for vehicle transfer

• Issue/renew Driver’s Licence (DL)

• Conduct driving tests for new DL applicants

• Vehicle registration and renewal service

• Issue vehicle fitness certificate

• Authenticate transfer of ownership

• Address change on Registration Certificate

• Issue/renew permit for driving schools

• Add new class of vehicle on existing licence

• Issue vehicle modification permit 

KA-40 RTO at Chikkaballapur issues 4 types of driving licences:

• Permanent Driving Licence

• Commercial Driving Licence

• Learner’s Licence

• International Driving Licence

Two types of vehicle registration certificates are issued by the Chikkaballapur RTO office: 

• Temporary Registration – As the name suggests, these are tentative registrations used to take the vehicle in another RTO region. 

• Permanent Registration – Unlike temporary registration, these are exclusive numbers assigned to each vehicle.

Following are some of the charges applied when registering a new vehicle in the Chikkaballapur RTO region:  

• Two-wheelers: ₹300

• Imported two-wheelers: ₹2500

• Three-wheelers: ₹600 for non-transport and ₹1000 for transport

• LMV/Four wheelers: ₹600 for non-transport and ₹1000 transport

• Imported cars: ₹5000

• Heavy goods motor vehicle: ₹1500

Chikkaballapur’s RTO office is entrusted with the duty to collect road taxes from the registered motor vehicles in the region. Chikkaballapur follows the Karnataka road tax norms as displayed below.

• Two-wheelers (new): 10% to 13% of the vehicle cost, higher cost of vehicle incurs greater percentage of road tax amount  

• Four wheelers (new): 13% to 18% of the vehicle cost, higher cost attracts greater percentage of road tax amount

Violating traffic laws in the Chikkaballapur district incurs penalties and potential imprisonment. Following are some of the Karnataka traffic fines that are applied in Chikkaballapur: 

• Blocking emergency vehicle on road: ₹1000

• More than 2 people on two-wheelers: ₹2000

• Driving without seatbelt: ₹500

• Over speeding: ₹1000 - ₹2000

• Driving without insurance: ₹1000 for two-wheelers, and ₹2000 for other vehicles

• Driving while intoxicated: First offence – ₹10000 and/or 6 months imprisonment and Repeated offence will lead to ₹15000 and/or 2 years imprisonment

• Using mobile while driving: ₹5000

• Driving without a valid Driving Licence: ₹1000 (two/three wheelers), ₹2000 (LMV), and ₹5000 (other vehicles)

As per Indian law, it is mandatory to have a motor insurance in the Chikkaballapur district of Karnataka. The law dictates that all motor vehicles must have at least a third-party insurance policy. So that nobody suffers from financial loss due to a road accident. 

According to reports, a serial accident took place in the Chikkaballapur district. The accident occurred on the Bengaluru-Hyderabad highway when a truck stopped abruptly to save a snake. The truck driver suddenly came to a halt after he saw a snake in the middle of the road. 

The abrupt stoppage of the truck led to a pile-up of 4 vehicles behind the truck. Drivers of the vehicles sustained few injuries. However, none of the people involved suffered from any major injuries. Traffic police reported that the snake was able to escape. 

Another serial accident was reported on NH 44. The accident happened after a canter lost control and crashed into a bike. The canter went on to hit 5 other vehicles and on-duty security personnel. It led to the spot death of 2 people while 2 other people were taken to the hospital for treatment.  

As per news reports road rage in Karnataka, has emerged as a threat to traffic safety in the region. It indirectly influences violations of traffic safety guidelines. With the growing number of vehicles on the road, it has come to the surface as a decisive threat to on-road safety.  Experts consider it a sort of psychiatric anomaly that threatens public safety on the roads. 

According to a PTI report, the government has taken up a road safety programme to promote awareness about the right kind of traffic behaviour. Karnataka State Road Safety Authority is formed to ensure implementation of traffic laws on the roads. The authoritative body is responsible for informing citizens about traffic rules. Further, it attends to transport and traffic-related grievances and suggestions from the public.