HYDERABAD: Expressing its displeasure with the authorities concerned over their failure to submit the required information to the court, a division bench of the High Court on Wednesday warned that it would summon the transport commissioners of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana governments before the court if details were not furnished by next Tuesday with regard to the number of violations identified and cancellation of permits of the erring private transport operators.
Besides, the bench took exception to the stand of the AP government that it would suspend the permits of those vehicles which were involved in more than two violations of the relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicle Act. In this regard, the AP government had earlier filed a report before the court.The bench of acting chief justice Ramesh Ranganathan and justice Abhinand Kumar Shavili was dealing with a PIL filed by KV Subba Reddy from Krishna district seeking action against the authorities concerned for the loss of lives in an accident involving Diwakar Travels in February this year.
On an earlier occasion, the petitioner had raised doubts about the steps taken by the departments concerned to implement the welfare measures envisaged in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Motor Transport Workers Act and Rules, particularly with regard to the working hours of the drivers of private buses, inspections conducted and action taken against the erring managements.
The bench directed both the state governments to furnish full details with regard to the number of violations identified and cancellation of permits of the erring private operators. When the matter came up for hearing on Wednesday, AP’s special counsel Krishna Prakash sought some more time to submit details to the court. The bench, “Why are the governments not bothered when people are dying in accidents? It appears that the cause of delay is meant to protect the private operators. Which provision of law permits you to take such a decision of cancelling the permits only if there were more than two violations?” The case has been adjourned to November 7.