Pune Regional Transport Office (RTO) is all set to hold a joint workshop of transport unions, bus owners & drivers and the fire department soon. This comes after four employees of a graphics designing firm were charred to death and six others injured as a company minibus caught fire in Hinjawadi on Wednesday morning.
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Speaking to The Free Press Journal, Archana Gaikwad, RTO, Pune, said, "We have taken cognizance of the matter, and accordingly, in the first week of April, a joint workshop will be conducted between the transport unions, bus owners & drivers and the fire department. A lesson on safety audit and how to prevent fire in a vehicle will be given to them. Moreover, strict action will be taken against the rule violators."
Swapnil Bhosale, Assistant RTO, Pune, added, "A fitness inspection is mandatory for vehicles every two years. However, if the vehicle is more than eight years old, a fitness certificate is required every year. A dedicated team has been deployed for the inspection. We urge the vehicle owners to maintain the fitness certificate, to avoid any unwanted happening."
Meanwhile, Baba Shinde, President, Maharashtra State Goods and Passengers Transport Association, said, "The physical fitness of the vehicle, both internally and externally is mandatory. The reason behind the Hinjawadi bus fire incident is not clear yet, but if the design structure of the door was good, people could not have lost their lives. We have briefed vehicle owners to maintain fire extinguishers in the transport vehicles and maintain the safety audit every year."
"We have already had multiple meetings with the company manufacturer and staff regarding the issue. However, they haven't come up with any solution," he added.
In Pune city, there are around 2.5 lakh transport vehicles, including auto-rickshaws, vans, mini buses and company-owned vehicles. The fitness certificate is important for all vehicles otherwise they have to face the punishment fine of Rs 10,000.
Hinjawadi Bus Fire:
Four employees of Vyoma Graphics were charred to death and six others injured as a company minibus caught fire at 7.45am on Wednesday.
The emergency exit door at the rear side of the bus could not be opened, leading to casualties, said an official.
The bus was ferrying 14 employees from Warje to Hinjawadi.
The deceased were identified as Shankar Shinde (63), Rajan Chavan (42), Gurudas Lokare (45) and Subhash Bhosale (44), residents of Kothrud, Warje and Wadgaon areas. They worked as a supervisor, printing machine operator, courier person and paper cutting operator, respectively.
When the vehicle was near Dassault Systems, a fire broke out near the driver's feet. Driver Janardan Hambardikar brought the bus to a halt as the flames spread, said Kanhaiya Thorat, senior inspector of Hinjawadi police station.
The driver and some of the employees got down immediately, while the four deceased who were in the rear of the bus tried to escape through the emergency exit near them.
"Preliminary probe suggests that they failed to get out in time as the exit door did not open. All four were charred to death. Six others sustained burn injuries," the official said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police Vishal Gaikwad said a short circuit could have triggered the fire, though experts from RTO will ascertain the exact cause. They will also probe why the emergency exit door malfunctioned, he added.
