Enforcement drive on private buses continues in Andhra Pradesh

The Transport Department continued its special enforcement drive across Andhra Pradesh on All India Permit buses on Sunday, and in two days (Saturday and Sunday), the enforcement teams booked a total of 361 cases for various violations and seized 40 vehicles in districts across the State.

The drive is primarily focussing on detecting unauthorised alterations, safety equipment deficiencies and operational irregularities, including non-maintenance of passenger lists, absence of fire extinguishers and lack of valid documents.

Nandyal district topped in the highest number of violations with 66 cases booked and a fine of ₹28,400 collected. It was followed by Palnadu district - 36 cases booked and compounding fee of ₹2,50,700 realised, Prakasam district - 34 cases booked and a fine of ₹89,810 collected, Tirupati district - 25 cases booked and a fine of ₹2,40,000 collected, Chittoor district - eight cases booked and a fine of ₹2,32,100 collected, Kurnool district - 14 cases booked, and a compounding fee of ₹72,050 and Motor Vehicle Tax of ₹96,000 collected, NTR district - 42 cases booked, one vehicle seized and major violations found, Annamayya district - 21 cases booked, six buses seized for safety and permit related irregularities, B.R. Ambedkar Konaseema district - seven cases booked and three buses seized, and in Krishna district eight cases were booked and four buses seized for unauthorised operations.

The enforcement revealed several safety and operational lapses, the most common violations being absence of fire extinguishers (83) cases, unauthorised vehicle alterations (63 cases) and other miscellaneous irregularities (193 cases). Additionally, 26 buses were found without proper passenger lists, while 11 each lacked valid records and emergency doors.