HYDERABAD: It is almost four years since TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao got a special bus customised to travel in for election campaigning. However, there is no sight of it being used for the ensuing election season. KCR started the campaign trail with multiple public meetings, and there are dozens scheduled for the coming weeks. But the bus stays put at Musheerabad depot. The reason why it is not being used is not clear.
In the last four years, the Mercedes Benz bus, that was readied at a cost of `5 crore from the government kitty, has hardly clocked 10,000 kilometres. As the election season is around, the RTC has readied it again, hoping there will be a call from the CM office for the bus. “The bus is hardly taken out, but we make sure it is always well maintained,” said an RTC official.
Though the Election Commission rules state that political parties cannot use state machinery for their electioneering, the Chief Minister is an exemption. The vehicle is likely to be used to for ferrying him to venues of his public meetings after the chopper lands, and back.
The bus was last used during Pragati Nivedana Sabha held at Kongarakalan where he used it to commute from the helipad to the meeting venue. But it was days after that meeting the CM had announced dissolution of the state assembly. “The bus will be used as per the standard operating procedure. The CMO will be charged for the use of the vehicle. They, usually, writes to us requesting for the vehicle. Depending on the number of days it is kept, we charge the amount,” the official said.
With 320 horsepower engine the bus can scale 100 km/hr and comes with bulletproofing and mine-proofing. The question remains if the CM will choose it over the chopper that seems to be his primary choice of transport.