Rs 7-cr bulletproof bus for KCR

Suresh Dharur

Tribune News Service

Hyderabad, March 6

Keeping in view heightened threat perception, the Telangana Government has decided to procure a bulletproof bus for Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at a cost of Rs 7 crore.

There is a growing threat to Chief Minister’s life from Maoists, particularly in the backdrop of a recent encounter on the Telangana-Chhattisgarh border in which 10 top naxalite leaders were killed. The new bus, being proposed by the Home Department, will be landmine-proof as well. This will be in addition to a bulletproof bus purchased in 2015 at a cost of Rs 5 cr. It was fabricated by Chandigarh-based JCBL group.

KCR, as the Chief Minister is known in political circles, is expected to use the new bus for his district tours ahead of the General Election next year, official sources said.

At present, he is provided with “Z Plus” security, which involves round-the-clock personal security. In May last year, a group of 18 commandos from “Greyhounds”, an elite anti-Naxal unit, replaced personnel from the Telangana State Special Police (TSSP) as part of his security convoy. The officials of the Roads and Buildings Department held a meeting recently and decided to call for tenders for procuring the new bulletproof bus. A committee has been constituted with R&B principal secretary Sunil Sharma as its member secretary.

Threat from Maoists

• In the wake of threat to CM’s life from Maoists, the Telangana Government will procure a landmine-proof bus, which he will use to tour districts ahead of the General Election 
• The bus will also have the capability to thwart an electronic weapons attack. A similar bus, fabricated by Chandigarh-based JCBL group, was purchased for the CM in 2015 at a cost of Rs 5 crore