Hyderabad, Oct 24 (PTI) The Telangana government on Friday set up a helpline to assist the families of passengers of the Hyderabad to Bengaluru private bus, which was involved in an accident in Kurnool district of neighbouring Andhra Pradesh.
The government, in a release, said that its officers M Sriramachandra (M 9912919545) and E Chittibabu (M 9440854433) can be contacted for help.
The helpline was set up following a directive by Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, who spoke to government Chief Secretary K Ramakrishna Rao and DGP Shivadhar Reddy.
The Chief Minister instructed IAS officer S Harish and also Collector and Superintendent of Police of Gadwal district of Telangana, neighbouring Kurnool district, to reach the accident site and coordinate relief measures.
According to a Telangana government release, 43 people were on board the ill-fated bus. Of them, 23 managed to escape the tragedy, while 11 dead bodies have been found.
Details of the remaining people were being verified.
Meanwhile, Telangana Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said he would hold a meeting with his Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka counterparts to devise measures to prevent such accidents, given the high volume of daily bus travel between Telangana and Karnataka via Andhra Pradesh.
In a video posted on X, he warned private bus operators of strict action if they showed negligence in maintaining vehicle fitness and adhering to statutory regulations.
The owners should follow rules and ensure that the buses do not overspeed (as the private buses are known to travel at a high speed), Prabhakar said.
The ill-fated bus was registered in Odisha and was operating between Hyderabad and Bengaluru, he said.
The routine checks conducted by the transport department are often termed as harassment, he added.
Union Ministers G Kishan Reddy, Bandi Sanjay Kumar, Telangana Deputy Chief Minister Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka, BRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao and other leaders condoled the loss of lives in the bus accident. PTI SJR SJR ROH
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