PMPML clueless about fire audit not happening

PUNE: The officials of the Pune Mahanagar Parivahan Mahamandal Limited (PMPML), who had requested the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT) to conduct a fire audit of its vehicles following a series of bus fires, were unaware of the CIRT’s refusal to take up the project for almost two months.
The CIRT had turned down PMPML’s request saying it did not have the required expertise to do the audit.

On Tuesday morning, when Nayana Gunde, the PMPML chairperson and managing director, was asked about the fire audit, she said: “It is still pending.” Unaware that the CIRT was not performing the audit, Gunde added, “Till their (CIRT’s) report comes out, we are considering these (fire incidents) a maintenance issue and are taking action against the employees concerned.”

CIRT director Rajendra B. Saner-Patil, however, clarified, “We never took up the project as the CIRT does not have the expertise. The fire incidents are happening due to maintenance issues.” He added the CIRT could help the PMPML if it needed guidance on maintenance.

When Gunde was informed of CIRT’s response, she said she would have to “check on it”. “No official communication has been sent to us by them (CIRT). But if they are saying so, we will have a word with them again,” she said.

Rishabh Das, a bus commuter, was shocked. “It seems to be a comedy of errors. No one, not even the top officials know what is happening. How is it possible that the PMPML doesn’t know that the fire audit is not going to happen? This shows the level of the officials’ seriousness when it comes to making us feel safe,” said Das.

Transport activist Sanjay Shitole echoed similar feelings. “The PMPML stands exposed now. It has proved that it is not bothered about passenger safety,” Shitole told TOI.

The PMPML had sought CIRT’s help after the October 30, when a bus with 30 passengers on board caught fire while plying on the Sancheti bridge. The PMPML had claimed an audit report, which will provide a fresh perspective on the reasons for the frequent fires and the ways to prevent them, will be received within a month.

“In connection with the Monday’s fire, the depot maintenance engineer (DME) has been fined Rs 1,000 and two other depot personnel have been suspended. Such actions will continue,” Gunde said. The bus which caught fire on Monday belonged to the Hadapsar depot.

Much after the Sancheti bridge fire, the PMPML had called the Tata Motors officials, who had run a complete scan of their buses in the fleet and had come up with some solutions. The PMPML had first pointed fingers at Tata Motors stating that only the Tata buses were catching fire. Tata Motors, however, denied any technical glitch in their vehicles and said the instructions pertaining to maintenance were not being followed properly.