ADILABAD: Lack of proper public transportation is posing a threat to the lives of commuters, who are forced to depend on unfit private vehicles to travel.As a result, two to three accidents are occurring in the district everyday resulting in at least one death.For people living in rural areas of Adilabad district, a major means of transport is private vehicles like jeeps and autorickshaws.There are about 1,000 private jeeps and 12,497 autorickshaws plying on village routes in the district.But most of them have completed their life period of 15 years.Officials admit that at least 400 jeeps and 4,791 autorickshaws are unfit for plying.K Sudheer of Umbri village said despite having a road to his village, RTC buses never operated regularly on the route.“Who would want to travel in a cramped private vehicle if we can have the comfort of travelling in a spacious RTC bus.But the RTC bus never comes on time,” he said, adding that sometimes people do not mind even to sit atop vans and travel.It is alleged police and transport officials do not act against erring transport operators as they receive mamools regularly from them.Sources say each police station receives about `400 per month from every private vehicle owner.Apart from this, small amounts ranging from `10-`50 are paid to police, transport personnel daily.Vehicle operators say though they earn about `3,000 to `4,000 per month, much of it goes as bribe.“Most of us purchase old vehicles, which are affordable, and run them to eke out a living.The vehicles are fit to carry passengers, but accidents occur when they are overcrowded.To pay mamools, we have to take extra passengers,” said a private vehicle owner.When contacted, deputy transport commissioner Praveen Kumar said 1,273 cases were registered in last 2 months against those running vehicles without fitness certificate.
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