Activists flag overloading, speeding by autos and maxi cabs in Telangana

Road safety activists have flagged alleged overloading and speeding by auto-rickshaws and maxi cabs across Telangana, blaming inadequate enforcement for frequent accidents. Mancherial officials said 179 overloading cases were booked in 2025-26, while the district has 2,272 autos and 61 maxi cabs.

Mancherial: Road safety activists allege that a significant number of auto-rickshaws and maxi cabs or seven-seater passenger vehicles are openly flouting road safety regulations due to lack of enforcement by officials concerned across the erstwhile Karimnagar, Nizamabad and Adilabad districts and several parts of Telangana, leading to frequent road mishaps and loss of innocent lives.

According to the activists, many drivers of these passenger vehicles overspeed and overload passengers in rural areas, tier-two cities and district centres. The tendency of the drivers can be attributed to the absence of inspections and enforcement of norms by officials of not only the Road Transport Department, but also the traffic police and other departments.

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The activists fault the officials concerned for failing to enforce road safety laws and prevent road accidents. They maintained that officials were negligent in inspecting vehicles to stop overloading, over-speeding and other safety violations due to staff crunch. The officials should strive hard to bring down mishaps by strictly implementing the norms, they observed.

“In the recent tragic Naspur road accident, the auto was being driven beyond permitted speed. The driver lost control, causing the vehicle to tilt before ramming into the lorry,” Dr Neelam Sampath Kumar, founder of Safe Journey Road Foundation, a Karimnagar-based voluntary organisation, remarked.

Similarly, the drivers were also operating their vehicles far beyond the operational distance allowed under the Motor Vehicles Act, 1988. The vehicles are permitted to operate within the limits of the town or city. The officials are reportedly issuing permits to auto-rickshaws and seven-seaters without fixing the operational distance across several districts of Telangana.

Road Transport officials admitted that they were unable to crack down on violators, citing pleas from drivers not to affect their livelihood. Some auto drivers allow passengers to sit with them while flouting norms, increasing accident risks. However, this practice and over-speeding were leading to a considerable number of road accidents, they concurred.

The officials stressed that enforcement alone may not suffice. “Unless behavioural changes occur among the drivers, road accidents cannot be reduced. Not only the Road Transport Department, but NGOs, civil society organisations, police and Roads and Buildings Department should work together to create awareness among the drivers,” they opined.

179 cases against violators in 2025-26 FY

Mancherial Road Transport Officer Gopi said that they would intensify checks to curb road safety violations. He informed that 179 cases were booked for overloading in Mancherial district alone from April 1, 2025 to March 31, 2026. The maximum permitted speed was 25 kmph in the district. The district accounted for 2,272 auto-rickshaws and 61 maxi cabs or seven-seaters.

Category-wise vehicle strength in Telangana

Autorickshaws: 5,14,883

Contract carriages: 8,644

e-Rickshaw/e-Carts: 306

Educational Institute buses: 31,225

Goods carriages: 6,56,413

Maxi cabs: 26,968

Motor cabs: 1,44,215

Motor cars: 23,47,479

Motorcycles: 1,27,52,564

Private Service Vehicles: 3,178

Stage carriages: 9,071

Tractors and trailers: 7,74,659

Other vehicles: 94,902

Total: 1,73,64,507