Bus involved in Kurnool accident was illegally modified into sleeper coach

The bus belonging to Vemuri Kaveri Travels owned by Vemuri Vinod Kumar, which met with a horrific accident near Chinnatekur village in Kurnool district in the early hours of Friday, had flouted several transport regulations.

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The bus was converted into a sleeper coach without proper authorisation, and it was also being operated across States under questionable documentation.

According to official records, the bus bearing registration number DD01 N9490 was owned by Vemuri Vinod Kumar, proprietor of Vemuri Kaveri Travels.

It was originally purchased on May 2, 2018, and registered in Daman and Diu. On April 29, 2025, the registration was transferred to the Rayagada RTO in Odisha under the name of G Bijaya Laxmi, mentioning what officials suspect to be an unverified address.

Further scrutiny revealed that the base (tourist) permit issued by Odisha authorities is valid from May 1, 2025, to April 30, 2030, while the fitness certificate issued by Silvassa (Daman and Diu) officials remains valid up to March 31, 2027.

Despite having valid documents such as insurance, fitness, and road tax, officials had failed to identify that the bus was originally registered as a seater coach, which was later modified into a sleeper without following safety protocols.

When contacted, Rayagada RTA officials, who reportedly approved the vehicle’s ‘alteration’ under the guise of seating configuration modification, claimed ignorance.