VIJAYAWADA: The authorities of Andhra Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (RTC) have decided to enhance the security at Vijayawada Pandit Nehru Bus Station (PNBS), after vagabonds and homeless people attacked two RTC employees recently.
It may be recalled that on the night of March 24, following the complaints from the passengers, the RTC staff along with security personnel launched a drive to send the vagabonds and beggars out of the bus stand. They were sleeping on the benches meant for the passengers, causing inconvenience to travellers. During the drive, around 50 beggars rounded up the RTC staff and reportedly attacked them.
In the incident, RTC traffic inspector Y Srinivas Rao and an outsourcing staffer Sambasiva Rao suffered minor injuries and a case was registered against them in Krishna Lanka police station and took them into custody.
The incident has raised concerns over the passenger safety during night hours and vagabond menace at the India’s largest bus stand.
Following this, the Vigilance and security officials of APSRTC conducted a security review meeting. With this, they enhanced the security measures by deploying more night duty staff at the bus stand and other nearby premises, particularly during night hours in order to ensure safety and security of the passengers.
Special night beat teams were formed to patrol round the clock in the bus stand premises. “If anyone is found sleeping on benches and floors, the teams will immediately send them from the bus stand,” said the PNBS deputy traffic manager of Basheer.
RTC officials are contemplating building a 10-feet high fencing wall near railway tracks to prevent entering them into the bus stand. They are planning to deploy security staff at all the entry points of the bus stand to prevent vagabonds and other anti-social elements. “The bus stand has become a home for vagabonds. The special teams will prevent them not to sleep
on benches. We are in talks with railway officials to construct a food plaza near NTR administration block to avoid vagabonds and create disturbances for public and bus passengers,” Basheer added.