After 2 fires in a month, focus back on strict safety norms

NEW DELHI: The fire on a bus in Andhra on Friday and that in Rajasthan on Oct 14, that cl-aimed over 40 lives, have bro-ught focus back on passenger safety. Officials said govt has notified several standards that bus body builders are required to follow. For instance, specifications for exits, door dimensions and gangway width were notified in 2017 as part of Bus Body Code . Norms such as installation of automatic fire alarm systems were made mandatory from April 2019.

Sources said the updated code for sleeper coaches includes provisions for six eme-rgency exits made of breakable glass, among others. From Sept 2025, compliance with the code will be mandatory for all bus body builders.

Citing that the bus that caught fire in Rajasthan was modified just a few days before the incident, a govt official said, "Responsibility lies with local transport department officials who check buses." But older buses built in 2018 like the one in Kurnool don't come under the new regime. Former joint transport commissioner of Delhi, Anil Chhikara, said, "The road transport ministry has made a system that vehicles can get fitness certificate based on photos. This must stop."