Plug the leak

Parents of children who had a narrow escape when their school bus went up in flames say even DTC is not following safety norms

Plug the leak

Parents of children who had a narrow escape when their school bus went up in flames say even DTC is not following safety norms

Earlier it were private vans and cycle rickshaws that were blamed for putting the lives of school children on the line but now the state-run Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is in the dock too.

The fire was caused by a leaking CNG connection in the bus.

Furious parents were up in arms against the school and more so against the DTC, which they thought was a safer mode of transport for their children.

"The school is not the only one which is guilty, DTC must have to share equal blame for the accident. They have to ensure that the vehicles being used to ferry students are in good condition. Its very sad that such a incident has happened in a government-run bus," said Maheshwar Sharma, whose kind was traveling in the bus.
The incident happened at around 8 am when a DTC school bus was on its way to drop the students to Evergreen School situated in Vasundhra Enclave.

Delhi Abhibhavak Mahasangh president Vijender Gupta appreciated the bravery shown by the drive and conductor of the bus in taking out the children to safety. "The government should order an inquiry into the incident and remedial steps be taken. Buses being used to ferry school students should be well maintained.

Parents pay hefty amounts for transportation, the schools have to justify it," Gupta said.

Though no student got injured in the fire the bus conductor and driver sustained injuries in the mishap while rescuing out the school children.

"Details of the fire are yet to be ascertained, it mostly likely happened because of a gas leakage," a Delhi police official. A case in this regard has been registered in Ashok Nagar police station.

Presence of mind

Dinesh Chandra, the bus conductor, who was admitted to local Dharmashila hospital said: "As soon as I suspected some leakage I immediately went to check it. We parked the bus in a secluded place and started de-boarding the students. However, in the process we got injured," Chandra said.

However, the school principal said the students were taken to hospital just to ensure that, if at all a student was injured, it would be looked after.

A senior DTC official said a probe has been ordered into the incident.

"Special emphasis would be given for the maintenance of buses being provided to schools. Also, the newly-introduced low-floor buses won't be provided to schools," he added.

The ashes
>>On November 22, a DTC bus caught fire in Rohini Sector-16. No one injured. The DTC has suspended the driver.
>>On November 22, a blueline bus caught fire in Miyawali area of west Delhi. The bus was plying on route number 567. No one injured.
>>A low-floor DTC bus caught fire near Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital on March 30. Some passengers sustained minor injuries.
>>The DTC has recently increased its fare to Rs 40 per km from Rs 25 per km for school bus transportation.

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