Bhubaneswar, Jan, 21: In view of the recent incidents of buses catching fire suddenly in different parts of the country, the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways has expressed serious concern. Therefore, it has been directed that fire safety systems must be installed in all passenger buses. In this connection, a meeting was held today at the residence of Commerce and Transport Minister Bibhuti Bhusan Jena with representatives of private bus owners’ associations.
It was decided in the meeting that all buses must be fitted with ABSS (Automatic Fire Suppression System) and FDPS (Fire Detection and Suppression System) powder coating. The ABSS coating will be applied around the engine area, while the FDPS powder coating will be applied to the bus body. With this arrangement, if a fire breaks out for any reason, it will not spread further. This is expected to prevent loss of passengers’ lives.
It was further stated that bus bodies must be built only by licensed agencies. Otherwise, vehicle registration will not be permitted.
Regarding this, Private Bus Owners’ Association Secretary Debendra Sahu said that it is not feasible to apply ABSS and FDPS coating to old vehicles at present. If the coating is done in new vehicles, it will cost around ₹1 lakh, but in old vehicles the cost would be much higher. Therefore, the association has suggested that this rule be made applicable only to newly purchased vehicles.
He also said that all private buses have already made fire prevention arrangements. The rules framed by the government regarding bus bodies are being implemented in the state. However, in Odisha, only three agencies have been licensed to build bus bodies. As a result, many bus owners are being forced to get bus bodies built in other states at higher costs. The association has demanded that supporting infrastructure be developed within the state.
On the other hand, raising concern over bus fire incidents, the bus owners’ association questioned the minister, pointing out that recently more “Ama Bus” and government buses are catching fire, including AC buses. Therefore, along with issuing directives to private bus owners, the government should also make government buses safe for passengers.
They demanded that instead of only threatening action against private bus owners, the government should also take action against government officials and agencies responsible for purchasing buses. Only then will travel in government buses become truly safe for passengers.
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