Vijayawada: Fleecing ambulance operators warned of stern action

Vijayawada: City Task Force police on Wednesday warned the managements of the ambulance services of taking stern action for fleecing the Covid patients and collecting exorbitant charges for transportation of Covid patients.

Task Force ACPs GV Ramana Murthy and VSN Varma, Inspector P Krishna Mohan and others conducted counseling of the managements of the ambulance services in the city. The Collector Md Imtiaz said that the charges to be collected basing on the distance. However, there is no response from the ambulance drivers and managements. Covid patients and their family members are raising hue and cry over the exorbitant charges demanded by some ambulance managements. Some drivers have demanded Rs 10,000 for Covid patients from Suryarao Pet to NRI hospital in Manalagiri. In another case, one ambulance driver demanded Rs.15, 000 to take the dead body from GGH Vijayawada to Guntur.

Keeping in view of the complaints being made by the Covid patients on the demands made by the ambulance managements and drivers, the City Task Force police conducted counseling and asked them to be generous with the Covid patients and take charge as per the rates fixed by the district administration basing on the distance. The Task Force officials appealed to the people to call on the Task Force office phone number 0866-2575235, Task Force ACP –I 94406 27089 and Task Force ACP-II cell number 83339 93103 if the ambulances demand exorbitant charges. Thousands of Covid patients and their families are worried over the fleecing of ambulance services and requesting the latter to be liberal on their demands.