21 August,2009 07:53 AM IST | | A correspondent
RTO officials said the permit of the private bus that caught fire yesterday had expired.
"Driver Vishwanath Phadtare had surrendered his permit on August 13 and had not applied for a new one," said transport commissioner Deepak Kapoor.
A preliminary report from the fire department will reach him on Saturday and will enable them determine whether the bus was carrying a fire extinguisher.
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"These were part of the guidelines issued by the RTO to all private transport operators carrying school- children. Unfortunately, there is no provision to make fire extinguishers mandatory," said Kapoor.
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Safety
Chief fire official P D Kargupikar said, "It's important that drivers and operators take all safety precautions.
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There should not be any compromise to human life, especially children, in the name of cost cutting."
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