HYDERABAD: The transport and labour departments of the Andhra Pradesh government have given clean chit to Diwakar Travels, belonging to the family of TDP MP from AP, JC Diwakar Reddy, whose bus met with an accident at Moolapadu village in Penuganchiprolu mandal of Krishna district on February 28 this year wherein 11 people lost their lives.
In this regard, the departments have filed affidavits, pursuant to the court’s direction, on a PIL filed by KV Subba Reddy of Krishna district,seeking action against the authorities concerned for the loss of lives in the accident involving Diwakar Travels. The bus was registered in the name of JC Uma Reddy of Tadipatri in Anantapur district as a contract carriage and operated between Bhubaneswar and Hyderabad via Vijayawada.
The petitioner raised doubts about the steps taken by the departments concerned for implementation of the welfare measures envisaged in the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988 and Motor Transport Workers Act and Rules, inspections conducted and action taken against erring managements. He attributed non-implementation of these measures to the growing number of road accidents in AP and TS.
As for AP, its principal secretary (transport) Sumita Dawra filed an affidavit, giving clean chit to the transport company, saying that there were two drivers with valid licences on the bus on the day of the accident. As per provisions of the Act, no driver should work for more than eight hours a day or 48 hours a week. For the said bus, two drivers are required to cover the total distance of about 1,050 km.
One driver drove it from Bhubaneswar to Vizag and the second from Vizag to Vijayawada in six hours and plunged it in the river in which the second driver died. The bus had been in operation for last one year and was in a fit condition with all required permits to travel and possessing tax papers, she claimed.