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A mechanism to monitor long-distance buses operating on All-India tourist permits would be proposed at the inter-State transport commissioners’ meeting. On Saturday, Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said, “Buses registered in other States use All-India tourist permits to travel across the country. These are legally valid, of course. However, we have to develop a system to monitor these buses from the perspective of passenger safety. This will be discussed in a meeting that will be held in about 15 days.” Mr. Prabhakar added that private bus operators tend to register buses in other States to save on taxes. While they avail benefits of low tax rates, upholding road safety standards and safety of passengers aboard buses should be non-negotiable. He underscored that while it is the Union Government, which is a stakeholder in framing policies connected to road transport, States do not have as many powers. “When we try to bring about strict enforcement, they [private bus operators] scream harassment, or go to court. Now we will have to strictly check all aspects of documentation and conduct a review,” he said. In the meanwhile, the Transport Department embarked on a drive on long-distance buses plying on contract carriage routes. Inspectors and other officials began to check for documentation and permits, as well as safety measures aboard buses. According to official data, the Road Transport Authority in its Hyderabad Central, Hyderabad North, Hyderabad East, Hyderabad West and Hyderabad South Zone, and the Ranga Reddy and Medchal districts till Saturday booked 68 cases. They collected a total of ₹1,17,000 as compounding fee for alleged violations such as not having fire safety equipment, such as fire extinguishers, aboard buses. Fines we imposed for modifications to buses that violated seating permits. A bus with a seating capacity of 23 was found to have altered its capacity to 29. Similarly, across the State, from January 1, as many as 877 buses were seized and 8,848 cases were booked.
