RTA will keep close watch on AP pvt tourist buses: T Minister

• Road Transport Authority directed to seize buses which are not in condition
• Most of the accidents are caused by private buses
• RTC will acquire 80 Volvo buses soon

Hyderabad: The Telangana Transport Minister P Mahender Reddy has warned of strict action against private tourist buses if they were found flouting rules. Nobody, however big they might be, would be spared by our government, he asserted.

Talking to reporters at Secretariat on Saturday, he pointed out that instructions were given to Transport Department to conduct regular inspections of private tourist buses plying in and out of Hyderabad and seize them if they were not in good condition.

Replying to a query, he stated that a close watch would be kept on non-Telangana operators plying in 10 districts. He felt that a number of major accidents were caused by private buses and it was time that their activities were monitored.

He said the APSRTC was procuring 80 Volvo buses, each costing Rs 1 crore for three major depots in Telangana-Hyderabad, Warangal and Karimnagar. While State government would bear 15 per cent and Union government 35 per cent, the Corporation would bear 50 per cent of cost, he said. Out of the 80 Volvos, Hyderabad and Warangal depots would get 30 each, while the remaining 20 would go to Karimnagar, he pointed out.

Meanwhile, the Minister stated that a high-level delegation from Transport, police, GHMC, IT and ASCI (Administrative Staff College of India), Hyderabad would visit Mumbai on August-5 and 6 to study the public transport system there.

They will interact with officials concerned and submit their findings in the form of a report to the government later, he added.