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Jaipur, Oct 17 (IANS) A technical investigation into the Jaipur fire incident that claimed 22 lives and left several injured will be conducted by the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), Pune, officials said here on Friday.
CIRT officials will visit the site to identify the cause of the fire, fix accountability, assess technical lapses and give recommendations to prevent such incidents in future.
Their report will be submitted to the state government.
A five-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) from Jaipur led by Joint Transport Commissioner OP Bunkar has inspected the site of the recent bus fire accident in Jaisalmer. Officials confirmed on Friday that the team examined the wreckage and assessed technical aspects to determine the cause of the incident.
To prevent such tragedies, the Transport Department has decided to strictly inspect bus body manufacturing companies.
A special monitoring committee has been constituted to audit workshops and factories involved in bus body manufacturing.
Joint Commissioner Weaver emphasized that ‘substandard manufacturing practices’ could have been a major contributing factor to the accident, adding, “Serious technical lapses have been found, and we are taking steps to ensure accountability and strict compliance.”
Officials said that during inspection, many serious defects were found in the faulty bus. The emergency exit was small and obstructed by two fitted seats, making it inaccessible during an emergency. The length of the bus was increased beyond the regulatory limit, with an additional number of sleeper seats installed. The curtains used were highly flammable, which allowed the fire to spread rapidly.
These violations significantly hampered rescue efforts and are being documented in official reports.
Weaver also shared the progress of the ongoing inspections across Rajasthan. He said that till now about 1400 sleeper buses have been inspected. A total of 162 buses have been seized for violations. Around 3,200 AC buses are registered across the state. He said that in Jaisalmer alone, five private AC buses were seized for not following traffic and safety norms.
The SIT also inspected the premises of KK Travels, the company whose bus was set on fire. Of the 66 buses at the yard, 35 have been inspected, out of which 10 were found to have serious defects in body construction. These buses were reportedly manufactured under a “voluntary” label and are currently under investigation.
The SIT constituted by the Transport and Road Safety Department Headquarters includes Additional Transport Commissioner (Administration) and Joint Secretary to the Government OP Bunkar, Regional Transport Officer-II Dharmendra Kumar, Executive Director (Mechanical) of Rajasthan State Road Transport Corporation Ravi Soni, Joint General Manager of Central Workshop, Jodhpur Hanuman Singh and Motor Vehicle Inspector Navneet Batad.
The team completed its site inspection on Thursday and returned to Jaipur on Friday morning. Their findings will be compiled into a comprehensive report to be presented to the Government of Rajasthan.
–IANS
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