Mohammed Naseer Giyas
Hyderabad, October 24:
A chilling investigation into the Kurnool bus fire that killed 19 passengers has exposed a deep network of fraud and negligence across multiple states. The Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus, which burst into flames after colliding with a motorcycle, was never certified as a sleeper coach. It was a seating bus illegally modified to carry sleeping passengers without safety clearance.
How a Seating Bus Became a Death Trap
The bus was originally registered in Telangana as a seating coach in 2018. In 2023, it was re-registered in the Union Territory of Daman and Diu, bypassing stricter state scrutiny.
Investigations reveal the following chain of violations:
- In 2018, Hebron Infrastructure Pvt Ltd registered the vehicle in Telangana as a seating bus.
- In 2023, the bus was sold to Vemuri Vinod Kumar, who re-registered it in Daman using an NOC.
- The operator later obtained a national permit to run the bus across state borders under the banner of Vemuri Kaveri Travels.
- Fitness and alteration approvals were obtained in Rayagada, Odisha, where officials only permitted 43 seats for a seating layout.
- Despite this, the owners illegally converted the bus into a sleeper coach, increasing capacity and revenue while compromising safety.
The Tax Evasion Angle
Experts say the company’s choice of Daman registration was deliberate.
Transport tax for a seating bus in Daman is around ₹450 per seat. For a sleeper coach, it rises to ₹800.
In Telugu states, the same taxes are far higher—up to ₹4,500 per seat for seating coaches and ₹12,000 for sleeper berths.
By registering outside Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, operators saved lakhs in taxes every year while evading local enforcement.
Official Failure Across States
At every stage, officials approved fake or incomplete documents.
Fitness certificates were issued without physical inspections.
Transport authorities in Odisha, Daman, and Telangana failed to verify bus conversions or enforce safety checks.
The Result: 19 Lives Lost
On Thursday morning, the illegally modified bus went up in flames near Chinnatekur in Kurnool district. Over 20 passengers were trapped, many of them from Hyderabad. Most bodies were charred beyond recognition. Survivors say they heard a loud blast before the fire spread rapidly, giving them no time to escape.
Questions That Demand Answers
Who approved the illegal conversion?
Why were fitness and tax violations ignored?
How many other “sleeper” buses on our highways are death traps waiting to explode?
This tragedy is not an isolated accident. It is the outcome of a system where transport rules are bent for profit, and human lives are the cost.