RTA, traffic police crack whip on private buses

Hyderabad: Alerted by the private bus fire accident which claimed 19 lives on Friday in Kurnool district, the Telangana Road Transport Authority (RTA) and Hyderabad traffic police on Saturday conducted surprise inspections across the city and seized private travel buses for not adhering to the safety norms.

Officials said that several violations were detected during the inspections and hefty penalties were imposed on private travel buses operating on long distance routes. Officials said that sleeper berths were found to be obstructing emergency exit doors in many buses. Fire extinguishers installed in several vehicles expired.

The RTA and traffic police conducted inspections along the LB Nagar and Ramoji Film City routes.

Two private buses were seized for not installing safety mechanisms, officials said, adding that most of the buses lacked emergency hammers near windows which would pose a big risk to passengers to escape in the event of a fire or accident. Some buses owned by SL Travels were operating without a valid road tax and permit. Another bus on the Hyderabad–Bellary route had no emergency equipment accessible to passengers.

The special teams carried out inspections in Kukatpally, where RTA officials scrutinized travel buses, cabs, autos, and goods trolleys. Several cases were booked for driving without a valid licence, lack of fitness certificates, and non-payment of taxes.

The inter-state luxury buses plying between Bengaluru and Hyderabad were also inspected. Around 15 vehicles were fined for violations such as tampered emergency exits, lack of valid insurance, and overloading of passengers.

In Shamshabad’s Gagan Pahad area, five private buses from Bengaluru were seized for major irregularities. The buses belonged to Srivari Travels, Orange Travels, Saleem Travels, Shiva Travels, and Delta Travels.

A bus with a damaged front portion was also seized at Aramghar crossroads. It was later shifted to the Bandlaguda RTO office for a detailed mechanical inspection.

RTA officials said the inspections would continue and focus would be more on sleeper coaches. Emergency preparedness of private operators will also be checked. A decision on cancelling travel licenses will be taken after reviewing the safety norms in the inter-state buses, the RTC officials said.