The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : RTA puts `brakes' on SETWIN buses

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, May 02, 2004

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

RTA puts `brakes' on SETWIN buses

By Vikram Sharma

HYDERABAD, MAY 1. The Road Transport Authority (RTA) has decided not to issue temporary permits to the SETWIN authorities as they `failed to keep up their promise' to replace the old and rickety SETWIN buses with new ones by April 1 this year.

More than one year has lapsed since they (SETWIN) mooted the proposal to replace old buses with new ones, but so far nothing has been done. Except for assurances given by the SETWIN officials, things remained static. "We issued temporary permits to the 59 SETWIN buses plying in the city, after they assured us that they will replace the old buses by April 1. But, they did not keep their promise. Probably, they are waiting for some financial assistance," says C. L. N. Gandhi, Joint Commissioner, RTA. He said the buses were 15 to 25 years old and in a very bad condition. But what would the RTA do if the buses were not replaced soon? "Temporary permits are issued once in four months. They did not keep up their word to replace the buses by April 1. So, the next time they come to us for new permits we are not going to listen to them. Instead, we will put an end to it by pressurising them to change the buses."

And what have the SETWIN officials to say: "In the next three months, all the 59 buses are going to be replaced by new ones. Besides, another 43 buses are also being introduced. The old buses are plying from October 1979, after the then Chief Minister, M. Channa Reddy, had flagged them off," said Mohammed Khaja Ali, Senior Field Inspector, SETWIN.

Asked why the proposal had been kept pending for so long, he assured that in the next three months it would be done. "Our senior officials are also serious this time to have the vehicles replaced," he said. And what about the old buses, once replaced? Mr. Gandhi said that they would either be `sent out', meaning, that they would ply on the outskirts, or would be condemned. Mr. Khaja Ali maintained that the old buses would be condemned.

A common complaint by the motorists about the SETWIN buses was the heavy pollution caused by them.

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