VIJAYAWADA: Following a complaint pertaining to illegal screening of the pirated version of Akkineni Naga Chaitanya’s new movie Thandel in an RTC bus, APSRTC Chairman Konakalla Narayana Rao on Wednesday said action was initiated against the bus crew and the bus service was suspended.
Following two ‘X’ posts by the film producer Bunny Vasu about the screening of the pirated version of Thandel in the RTC bus, Konakalla took serious note of it. He said the bus was identified as a hired one attached to Palasa depot, and the bus driver and conductor were suspended.
“A departmental inquiry into the incident is underway. The incident amounts to violation of Section 13 of the Copyright Act, 1957, and the APSRTC strictly condemns such unethical practices,” he asserted.
APSRTC Vice-Chairman and MD Ch Dwaraka Tirumala Rao issued guidelines to depot managers and DPTOs to prevent the occurrence of similar violations in the future. “Only authorised content approved by APSRTC should be displayed on in-bus entertainment systems. It is the responsibility of crew and hired bus owners to ensure no screening of pirated movies. Also, strict monitoring and surveillance will be put in place to ensure adherence to these guidelines,” he averred.