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NEW DELHI: Amid instances of fatal fires in sleeper coach buses, National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has directed all chief secretaries to take immediate action, including to recall buses flouting mandatory safety norms and carry out rectifications. These include removing the partition between driver and passenger section, installation of fire detection and suppression system (FDSS) and stricter checking of accreditation and certification of bus body builders.Terming the violation of motor vehicle rules and automotive standards laying down mandatory norms for sleeper buses by bus body builders and officials as “criminal negligence”, the commission issued directions to state govts to fix accountability on persons whose negligence has endangered public safety. “Initiate immediate action to fix accountability on officials who granted approval for fitness certification of CMVR and AIS,” the human right watchdog said. It has asked states to submit an action taken report in two weeks.The instructions were issued after the commission received an action taken report (ATR) submitted by Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), an entity under road transport ministry, into the fatal bus fire on Jaisalmer-Jodhpur highway on Oct 14 that claimed 20 lives and left another 16 injured. CIRT identified shortcomings in the bus body building, which violated the safety standards prescribed under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR) and Automotive Industry Standard (AIS) for sleeper coach buses. These included the driver partition door, inadequate emergency exits and non-existent FDSS. These findings have also been formally communicated to Rajasthan govt.CIRT suggested recalling all sleeper coach buses, immediate removal of driver partition doors and sliders fitted to all sleeper berths. It also suggested that all such buses should install FDSS within one month and fire extinguishers of 10 kg must be checked and all bus bodies built with extension to chassis must be removed from operation.NHRC noted that the bus that caught fire was not built in accordance to rules for sleeper coaches with the bus body builder violating mandatory safety norms and wondered how it was permitted to operate despite gross violations. “This reflects serious systemic lapses not only on the bus manufacturer/ body builder but also on part of transport department officials who are responsible for approval, inspection and fitness certificate. This compels the commission to further observe that this accident was completely preventable, had the officials concerned enforced mandatory safety standards and in letter and spirit,” it said.
