Near the Delhi Secretariat on April 20. (Express photo by Rahul Sabharwal) A Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus Tuesday caught fire near Shanti Van, making it the third such incident in a month. No casualty was reported, said officials.
The fire took place in the rear portion of a non-air-conditioned bus that runs from Nand Nagri Depot and broke down on route number 275.
Some officials said the buses that caught fire were bought during the Commonwealth Games 2010, and had completed their AMC (Annual Maintenance Contract) period. About 50 per cent of the 3,760 buses fleet have completed 12 years and have been running after AMC, officials said.
Of the five buses that caught fire over the last two months, four were red (AC buses) and one was green (non-AC).
Best of Express Premium
“It was a small fire and was doused soon after it broke out. This is quite unusual, but fire incidents have increased across Delhi. The bus will be sent for an examination to ascertain the cause of the fire. The transport minister had recently formed a committee to identify the root cause, review the modalities of repair and maintenance, scrutiny and checks of the buses at various levels of officials and suggest remedial measures,” said a DTC official. “The six-member committee will submit the report in 15 days,” he added.
Another DTC official said that the fire could have been either due to overage or poor maintenance and repair. “Similar fire incidents took place in diesel buses when they were running past their AMC period,” said the official.
- The Indian Express website has been rated GREEN for its credibility and trustworthiness by Newsguard, a global service that rates news sources for their journalistic standards.
