Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar on Wednesday chaired a meeting with senior officials of the Transport department so as to intensify enforcement measures aimed at reducing road accidents across Telangana.
The new enforcement action plan will entail strict, district-level enforcement with teams and three State-level flying squads that will embark on surprise checks and take action against traffic violators.
The strategy, Mr. Prabhakar said, was devised to ensure continuous enforcement. Teams will receive instructions everyday at 6 a.m. and information will be relayed to them as to where surprise checks are to be conducted. The squads keep a close watch on violations such as overloading, expired fitness certificates, air and noise pollution breaches and pending challans.
Overloaded lorries and buses transporting sand, fly ash, stone, and building materials will be fined, or seized, or both. Each team will include a Deputy Transport Commissioner, Motor Vehicle Inspector, Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspector, and supporting staff as and when required. He underscored that enforcement personnel must not harass passenger auto drivers or farmers using tractors for agricultural purposes.
Joint transport commissioners have been instructed to ensure that at least one enforcement team remains active on the roads at all times, including public holidays. Officials in districts, including Ranga Reddy, Nalgonda, Mahabubnagar, Adilabad and Sangareddy, have been directed to conduct inspections of inter-State contract carriage buses at least twice a week. Vehicles found over-speeding, overloaded or operating without valid fitness certificates will be seized immediately.
The Minister also instructed officials to prevent overloading at source points, ensure tippers and open trolleys are covered with tarpaulins, and penalise buses with unauthorised modifications such as altered seating or blocked emergency exits. Details of overloaded vehicles are to be shared with the Mining department for coordinated action.
Mr. Prabhakar told officers to embark on extensive public outreach campaigns in the upcoming Road Safety Month. He said that the initiatives would include essay writing competitions and creative programmes for students, along with the setting up of Children’s Awareness Parks in all districts. Public awareness campaigns will also be conducted on the Central government’s cashless treatment scheme for road accident victims.
Published – November 12, 2025 07:04 pm IST
