Officials of the Road Transport Authority checking for proper documentation and passenger safety compliance with private buses. | Photo credit: ARRANGEMENT
After the Kurnool bus accident, the transport department went on a special drive to check the compliance of contract transport buses, Road Transport Authority officials checked dozens of vehicles and impounded as many as nine buses, including one that was allegedly blocking an exit.
According to RTA officials, 270 vehicle inspection reports have been issued so far and ₹6.92 crore has been collected as composite fee. Violations included vehicles plying the roads with commercial goods on board and not carrying first aid kits. From October 25 to November 1, up to nine vehicles were secured.
“This is an ongoing operation. We will continue to inspect private buses and ensure compliance. In due course, we noticed some violations in these buses, including not having fire extinguishers. On Friday (October 31), a Bengaluru-bound sleeper bus was found to have its exit locked from inside,” a senior transport ministry official said.
The transport department swung into action soon after the tragedy on board V Kaveri Travels sleeper bus on October 24 that killed 19 passengers. While the bus had the registration number of Daman and Diu, it was revealed that it had been re-registered at Rayagada in Odisha. According to senior officials from the Odisha Transport Department, the bus first entered the state in April this year, after which it was registered there.
Telangana Government is preparing to organize a joint meeting of Transport Commissioners from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka. In the recent past, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar told The Hindu that discussions on developing a mechanism to monitor private buses plying on all India tourist permits are on the anvil.
Published – 02 Nov 2025 19:37 IST
