In the wake of the devastating Kurnool bus accident, the Transport department has initiated a rigorous special drive to ensure contract carriage buses comply with vital safety regulations. Road Transport Authority (RTA) officials have conducted extensive checks across numerous vehicles, leading to the seizure of nine buses. Alarmingly, one of these impounded vehicles was found to have its emergency exit dangerously blocked.
During this ongoing enforcement campaign, authorities have issued 270 vehicle check reports and collected a substantial ₹6.92 crore in compounding fees. Common violations observed included buses transporting commercial goods alongside passengers and lacking essential first-aid kits. These nine vehicles were impounded between October 25 and November 1.
A senior Transport department official confirmed that this special drive is continuing, emphasizing the unwavering commitment to ensuring compliance among private buses. They noted ongoing issues such as the absence of fire extinguishers in many vehicles. A particularly concerning discovery on Friday, October 31, was a sleeper bus en route to Bengaluru with its emergency exit locked from the inside, posing a severe risk to passengers.
This intensified action by the Transport department began swiftly after the tragic V Kaveri Travels sleeper bus incident on October 24, which claimed the lives of 19 passengers. Investigations subsequently revealed that the bus, initially registered in Daman and Diu, had been re-registered in Rayagada, Odisha, earlier that year.
Looking ahead, the Telangana government is preparing to host a crucial joint meeting of transport commissioners from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and Karnataka. Discussions are actively underway to develop a robust and unified mechanism for effectively monitoring private buses operating under All India Tourist Permits, a measure recently highlighted by Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar.