Nearly 30 per cent of more than 14,000 private buses checked by regional transport offices (RTOs) in Maharashtra during a special drive were found to be flouting rules, the transport department has said.

According to a release by the department on Tuesday, RTOs checked 14,161 private buses as part of the special drive conducted between May 15 and June 30.

Of these vehicles, 4,277, or nearly 30 per cent, were found to be violating rules and regulations and offences were registered against some of them, it said.

The very next day after the drive ended – on July 1 – 25 passengers travelling on a private sleeper coach were charred to death when the vehicle caught fire after hitting a road divider on the Samruddhi Expressway in Buldhana district.

Of those buses caught flouting rules during the special drive, 1,702 were found violating norms about reflectors, indicators and tail lights, followed by 890 buses plying without permits or not following permit conditions.

According to the release, action has been taken against 570 buses for not having valid fitness certificates, while 514 buses did not have fire extinguishing systems. A total of 485 buses had not paid the Motor Vehicle Tax.

The release pointed out that the emergency exits in 293 buses were found non-functional, while 227 buses were found to be illegally ferrying goods. A total of 147 buses were carrying excess passengers, 72 without speed governors, and 40 buses collected excess fare from passengers, it said.

The release said that Rs 1.87 crore was collected in fines from the owners of the offending buses. The special drive focused on taking action against buses that were overcharging passengers by taking advantage of the summer rush, it added.

Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.