VIJAYAWADA: After several allegations levelled by the transport department against private bus operators, the AP State Contract Carriage Bus Owners Association on Saturday made it clear that the 900 private buses, on which restrictions were imposed by the transport department, were operating in both the Telugu speaking States after paying taxes to the respective governments and following due procedures.
Addressing a press conference here, association vice-president and Orange Travels CEO M Sunil Kumar Reddy alleged that MP Kesineni Srinivas Nani was intentionally targeting other private bus operators soon after winding up his Kesineni Travels.
“It’s not at all a good practice by Kesineni Srinivas, who is well aware of the hardships of travel operators in running the business, to make such criticism,” he said and added that Nani was “role model” for them.
Sunil Kumar Reddy also wondered why the transport department has woken up now though they were continuing their operations for about a decade. Not only private travels, but Kesineni Travels and State government-owned APSRTC also have overhung vehicles, he said.
The association has enough documents to prove the matter, he said and added “if Nani was such a clean person, he should accept our challenge.” Reddy further said that the 900 private buses were operating in AP and Telangana after paying the inter-state tax regularly even though they had obtained permits from Arunachal Pradesh, Pondicherry and North- Eastern States. He alleged that Kesineni Travels is the one which violated rules first in the State.
“We are paying close to `1.35 lakh as quarterly inter-state tax to the respective governments. How could they initiate action against the private operators without any prior intimation. We would take the issue to the court of law. The move is nothing but to take revenge on us as Nani brought pressure on Arunachal Pradesh officials to cancel bus permits,” he alleged.
Commenting on the high bus fare charged by the private operators, Sunil Kumar Reddy said that the State government had made no regulation to charge ticket price lower than APSRTC fare. “If such a regulation is made, the private operators will follow the order,” he said.
“I don’t have any conflict with MP Kesineni Nani and the allegations levelled by Nani regarding my relationship with Jagan Mohan Reddy are baseless,” he added.