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Hyderabad: After 19 people died in a bus fire accident in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar warned private bus operators that strict action would be taken against them if they violate transport rules.
He said that if travel operators are found negligent in the fitness of vehicles, insurance and other matters, then a case of murder will be registered against them and they will be sent to jail.
The minister asked travel operators to follow rules and adhere to speed limits.
He told them, “Don’t play with people’s lives.”
Nineteen passengers were burnt to death when their bus caught fire after colliding with a two-wheeler near Chinnatekur on the outskirts of Kurnool in Andhra Pradesh early Friday.
There were 43 people including two drivers in the V Kaveri Travels bus.
He said in a statement that the bus involved in the accident was registered in Odisha and was plying between Hyderabad and Bengaluru.
The minister said that the transport department conducts daily checks and travel operators complain of harassment.
Describing Friday’s accident as unfortunate, he said an investigation has been ordered.
He said that all necessary steps will be taken to prevent such accidents in future.
Stating that thousands of people travel between Hyderabad and Bengaluru via Andhra Pradesh, he said a meeting of transport ministers and transport commissioners of the three states would be held soon to discuss measures to prevent accidents. “Speed limits prevent accidents and we will ensure strict enforcement of such rules,” he said.
Ponnam Prabhakar cited the speed limit rules applicable on Tirupati Ghat roads. He said that at the entry and exit points, the concerned authorities record the time to monitor the speed limit of vehicles in both directions.
He stressed the need for a uniform system for bus operations between Hyderabad and Bengaluru, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Visakhapatnam and Rajahmundry.
–IANS