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Jaipur, October 15 (IANS) Taking disciplinary action following the Jaisalmer sleeper bus fire incident in which 21 people died, the Rajasthan Transport Department has suspended two Chittorgarh officials – acting District Transport Officer (DTO) Surendra Singh and Assistant Administrative Officer Chunni Lal – for clearing the body of the ill-fated bus that caught fire.
The government’s move came after a review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Bhajan Lal Sharma, in which the transport department was directed to launch a state-wide inspection drive.
Preliminary investigation has revealed violations of the bus body code, which will lead to further inspection of private buses across Rajasthan.
Also, the first FIR in the case was lodged at Jaisalmer Sadar Police Station by the brother of one of the victims, journalist Rajendra Chauhan, late on Tuesday night.
In the complaint, the bus owner and driver have been accused of causing the fire due to alleged negligence.
The death toll has now reached 21 after 10-year-old Yunus died of burns at Jodhpur’s Mahatma Gandhi Hospital on Wednesday morning.
Four other patients are on ventilator. Officials are conducting DNA tests in hospitals in Jodhpur and Jaisalmer to identify the burnt remains. The families have expressed frustration over the slow verification process, but hospital officials assured that the process will be completed within 24 hours to avoid any errors.
The Prime Minister’s Relief Fund has sanctioned an ex-gratia amount of Rs 2 lakh for each deceased and Rs 50,000 for the injured.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter, “My heart is saddened by the loss of lives and property due to the accident in Jaisalmer.”
Rajasthan minister Gajendra Singh Khinvsar said the fire was probably caused by an AC compressor explosion, which caused diesel and gas to burn, trapping passengers inside the single-door bus.
“Some people were burnt to ashes,” he said.
Chief Minister Sharma later visited the Army cantonment in Jaisalmer, where the burnt bus is kept, to inspect the debris and get a first-hand assessment of the tragedy.
–IANS
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