DTC lax in bus upkeep: panel report

While the government may have squarely put the blame on Tata Motors for not servicing and maintaining its low-floor buses properly...

While the government may have squarely put the blame on Tata Motors for not servicing and maintaining its low-floor buses properly,reports on the last three fire incidents in these buses compiled by the Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) suggest otherwise.

According to the reports,the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) is responsible too for not ensuring proper maintenance by putting proper inspection and checks in place before a bus leaves the depot. The EPCA reports also cite ill-maintenance and manufacturing flaws as reasons for such accidents.

According to the technical report compiled on the fire incident on Thursday,the shoe brake,fixed on the rear tyre of the bus,is supposed to be replaced after every 18,000 km covered.

While the EPCA chief Bhure Lal could not be contacted,sources revealed that according to the report,the bus had travelled only 9,000-odd km since the shoe brake was replaced,which means the component was not fixed properly. The bus was allowed to leave the depot without inspection by the depot manager,which led to the incident,states the report.

While the EPCA had reportedly pulled up the DTC and the Transport department for not adhering to CNG safety norms,the reports compiled by the EPCA since the first fire incident in a low-floor bus in March this year put the blame on DTC bus depot managers for being lax in ensuring safety norms. Each non-AC low-floor bus costs Rs 52 lakh. There have been three fire incidents since March,when a bus caught fire near RML Hospital.

The EPCA is now expected to meet on December 7 to look into the matter

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