Tempo ferrying students home catches fire in Delhi’s Rohini, all 21 kids safe

Meanwhile, school authorities stated that the vehicle was not part of the transport services provided by them. “We have four buses for which we are responsible. All four buses have returned, and all the children are safely home. The vehicle which caught fire can be seen to be a tempo traveller, which is not provided by the school,” said Principal Geeta Gangwani.

The tempo’s driver, Sanjay Solanki (32), said he has been ferrying students from Bal Bharati for five years. Recounting the incident, he said, “I was driving when I smelt something strange. I immediately got all children out of the vehicle.”

It subsequently caught fire. Solanki said he had never had issues with the vehicle before, and that it had been properly maintained. He added, “I am not too bothered about the vehicle. Insurance will take care of it. The important thing is the children. My first thought was of their safety, it was my responsibility.” Solanki said the children were dropped off by another driver whom he knew.

Visuals from the spot show flames engulfing the tempo, rising several feet above it. Locals said they saw children running on the road and rushed to help the driver.

DFS chief Atul Garg said, “We received a call around 2.14 pm and sent two fire tenders to the spot in 10 minutes. Children were standing outside the vehicle. The fire then spread to other vehicles, gutting three cars. We immediately called for one more tender. The blaze was doused by 2.50 pm. It was a CNG mini-bus. We suspect some malfunctioning in the engine or other parts led to the fire. We are not sure as auto-fires are difficult to investigate.”
Police said legal action will be taken based on a report from authorities and DFS, adding that they also took note of Solanki’s quick action. No FIR has been registered yet.

The school also sent a message to parents telling them that the vehicle did not belong to them. “The school came to know of an incident where a tempo traveller has caught fire with students of BBPS Rohini. As per reports, all children are safe and have reached home. This is to place on record that the tempo traveller did not belong to the school. It was not a school-run vehicle. This was probably a private arrangement by a group of parents. However, we will look into the matter for the safety of our students,” stated the message.

According to a parent of a senior student, who also travels to and from the school in a private van, parents like them use van services because of long waiting lists for bus services due to limited seats. Another reason they cited was that the cost of engaging private vans comes up to be cheaper than bus fees and can be paid on a monthly basis.

The school requires parents who use van services to sign an undertaking stating that they have checked that the vehicle has requisite permits prescribed by the transport department for ‘passenger transport vehicles’ and complies with rules and guidelines prescribed by the department for school cabs. It requires them to submit details such as the driver’s licence, his Aadhaar card, RC copy of the vehicle and police verification of the driver and an undertaking that states “school management/authorities shall not be amenable in any manner whatsoever for the arrangements made…”