Buses To Lose Fitness Licence In Absence Of Fire Extinguishers

Bhubaneswar: Now onwards, the fitness licence of a bus in the State will be cancelled immediately if it is found that the vehicle does not have a fire extinguisher during an inspection. This was informed by the Regional Transport Officer Pradeep Kumar Mohanty on Thursday.

The move comes after a bus parked in the Baramunda bus stand in Bhubaneswar caught fire a couple of days back.

“If the fire extinguisher is not found in a bus during an inspection, action will be taken and fitness licence of the vehicle will be cancelled on the spot. We have already asked the bus owners to keep fire extinguishers in their buses,” said Mohanty.

Meanwhile, private bus owners’ association has expressed resentment over the absence of fire safety measures at bus stands across the State.

“The government must take steps to deploy some fire service personnel in bus stands where thousands of buses are parked. Also, we want the government to create awareness about the new fire safety norms,” said Barada Prasanna Acharya, secretary of the bus owners' association.