HYDERABAD: Pointing out that the authorities are more lenient with the powerful lobby of private transport operators and showing their power only to smaller people, a division bench of the High Court on Tuesday directed the governments of both Telangana and Andhra Pradesh to act firmly against the powerful private transport lobby or leave it to the court for necessary action.
Even after 55 years, the welfare legislation meant for the workers of private transport sector was not being implemented in the two states, the bench observed.
The bench of Acting Chief Justice Ramesh Ranganathan and Justice G Shyam Prasad made these observations on a PIL filed by KV Subba Reddy from Krishna district of AP seeking action against the authorities concerned for the loss of lives in the accident involving Diwakar Travels in February this year. The bus was registered in the name of JC Uma Reddy of Tadipatri in Anantapur district of AP as a contract carriage and operated between Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad via Vijayawada.
Advocates-general of both the states submitted that the authorities had evolved stringent measures to act against the erring private operators. Not satisfied with the submissions, the bench directed authorities to act firmly, including cancelling licences against operators who do not comply with the rules. If necessary, the governments have to bring in new rules, the bench noted.
Registration of vehicles
The bench noticed that 1,247 vehicles out of 2.02 lakh vehicles were registered in TS. As for AP, 9,294 persons gave an undertaking that they would implement the rules.
HC stays transfers in medical education
The Hyderabad High court on Tuesday stayed the process of transfers to fill the posts of Assistant Professors undertaken by the Director of Medical Education, State of Telangana. Justice A Ramalingeswara Rao was passing this interim order in a petition filed by Dr Sumitra Rani, presently working as Assistant Professor, General Medicine, Mahabubnagar Government Medical College. The petitioner contended that the officers have not notified the number of vacancies in general medicine department but are filling the posts by transfer. College wise vacancies are to be notified and then only initiate the process for filling the posts. The whole process was being manipulated, she alleged. After hearing the case, the judge stayed the process and called for records.