Kurnool bus fire: Telangana Minister Ponnam warns private bus operators of murder charges over negligence
Prabhakar said that the government would deal sternly with those endangering public safety through reckless operations
By - Sistla Dakshina Murthy
Hyderabad/Kurnool: Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar warned that the government would not hesitate to book murder cases against private bus owners if they operate vehicles with poor maintenance, expired permits, or invalid documents.
The minister’s strong warning came in the wake of the Kurnool bus fire tragedy, which claimed around 20 lives near Chinnatekuru village in the early hours of Friday.
Minister slams Private Operators for negligence
Prabhakar said that the government would deal sternly with those endangering public safety through reckless operations.
“Please don’t play with people’s lives by running unsafe buses. We will not hesitate to treat such negligence as criminal,” he said.
The minister criticised private operators for accusing officials of harassment when inspections are carried out. “Is this the way to safeguard lives when buses operate without proper safety checks?” he questioned.
Plan for Interstate Coordination
Following the tragedy, the Telangana Transport Minister announced that he would convene a meeting with the Transport Ministers of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka to curb violations by private travel operators.
“I will personally reach out to my counterparts to frame effective measures to prevent such incidents in future,” Prabhakar said, adding that a joint enforcement mechanism was the need of the hour.
‘No Compromise on Public Safety’: Ramprasad Reddy
Meanwhile, Andhra Pradesh Transport Minister Mandipalli Ramprasad Reddy rushed to the accident site at Chinnatekuru village and reviewed the situation with officials.
He said that Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu had ordered a thorough probe into the mishap and directed officials to ensure the best possible medical treatment for the injured.
“The Chief Minister has made it clear that there shall be no compromise on road safety or public welfare,” Reddy said.
Relief Measures and Coordination
Reddy said that the Chief Minister instructed officials to identify the deceased, provide immediate financial aid to their families, and coordinate with transport and police departments for speedy relief.
He added that the Transport Ministers of Telangana and Karnataka had also been informed of the tragedy to strengthen interstate coordination in tackling private bus safety violations.
Governments to crack down on violators
Both ministers assured that their governments would intensify vehicle inspections and take strict punitive action against operators found violating transport safety norms.
Over speeding, poor vehicle maintenance, and disregard for permits, they said, would be dealt with zero tolerance in the coming days.
