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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