TIRUPATI: Taxi owners run into debts for supplying vehicles to the convoys of VIPs in Tirupati and the district administration has not cleared the bills in the last three years. More than 30 travel agents and the owners of vehicles are facing debts due to delay in payment of the bills. Drivers and their families are also being impacted indirectly as these travel agencies are unable to pay the salaries on time.
The bills to be paid has reached more than Rs 1 crore from last three and half years and only Rs 31 lakh had been paid in 2015 and 2016. Mostly, SUVs are used in the convoys of the VIPs. The charge of Innova is Rs 2,800 for 12 hours, while the Sumo costs Rs 1,700 for the same time. Being a pilgrimage centre the VIPs flow is witnessed in the city. During festivals and holidays, vehicles are being brought from Chennai, as most of the vehicles from the city are engaged with the VIPs.
Speaking to this newspaper, a travel company owner A. Eswariah, said, “District collector stood for us and taken an initiative by instructing authorities concerned to clear the pending bills. Since two months the file is pending with the sub-collector office. They have assured us that '31 lakh will be sanctioned as soon as possible. If the situation continues, our business will be shut with debts.”
A driver working with a private travels, K. Ramu said, “We are not getting the salaries periodically. We are unable to sustain, getting debts for more interest. We have to face many challenges to find a new job.”
