Hyderabad: While some private bus operators are registering their buses with the governments of Arunachal Pradesh and Puducherry to escape the taxes imposed on contract carriage services in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, some other operators are avoiding taxes and escaping checking by road transport authorities by taking shortcuts.
Most of the illegal private buses are taking alternative routes to reach highways, and sometimes this is becoming a threat to the lives of passengers as there is a possibility of accidents and robberies in isolated forest areas.
The Telangana RTA is losing revenue as buses take alternative routes to highways to avoid the border check posts at Manavapad in Gadwal district and Krishna in Mahbubnagar district on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru route. Similarly, the Zahirabad, Kamareddy, Kodad and Vadapally check posts are also being avoided by private buses by taking alternative roads.
ahbubnagar district transport officer G. Mamatha Prasad said the department had recently established a new check post at the Krishna area on the border of Karnataka and Telangana between Maganur and Raichur.
“We removed the check post at Egala Penta on the Srisailam highway as chances of illegal operations by private buses and trucks are less here. We seized three busses registered with the Puducherry government on Saturday for violating rules, avoiding taxes and operating through illegal routes. The drivers of the three buses (PY05A-1199, PY05A-5566 and PY05A-3399) of Morning Star Travels were coming from Bangalore to Hyderabad via an alternative route to avoid RTA checking and toll gates. We have beefed up surveillance in other places where there are alternatives to main roads,” she said.
A source from Wanaparthy RTA said that following the seizure of three buses at the Krishna check post, RTA staff had increased checking between Aija and Raichur. “There are some routes available to reach Karnataka from Gadwal, Wanaparthy and Aija which are not good for heavy vehicles,” the source said.
The buses from Bengaluru to Hyderabad are taking a diversion at Gooty and joining the highway at Jadcharla to avoid the border check posts at Manavpod near Alampur.
