Following a series of fatal accidents in the last few days in the State, the Transport Department cracked the whip against errant buses being operated by educational institutions and seized 27 of them for different violations, including operation without valid permits and expiry of drivers’ licence.
A special drive was launched in Krishna, Kurnool, East Godavari and Visakhapatnam districts on Tuesday and department officials booked several cases and seized buses. The officials seized 14 buses in Krishna, Kurnool (6), East Godavari (4) and Visakhapatnam (3).
A majority of buses were found to be operating without permits, without payment of taxes and in couple of cases, driving licences of drivers were found to be expired. Officials said though the fitness condition of the buses was satisfactory, maintenance of records, first aid boxes, and provision of emergency exits was lacking in many buses. The drive would continue for the next 15 days.
Meanwhile, Chief Secretary I.Y.R Krishna Rao held a review meeting with DGP J.V. Ramudu, Transport, Roads and Buildings and other department officials in Hyderabad. During the meeting, emphasis was laid on road safety and measures to be taken to curb accidents in the State. To this effect, officials pointed out that a report was prepared about black spots across the State. Accordingly, the departments had identified more than 70 ‘black spots’, areas vulnerable for accidents, in each district and these were more than 100 in a couple of districts. The report was handed over to Roads and Buildings Department for initiating remedial measures to clear black spots, said a senior Transport Department official. Transport Minister Sidda Raghava Rao said a special meeting would be conducted with R&B officials soon to discuss future course of action.
