Buldhana bus fire: Maharashtra police conduct safety checks of vehicles on Samruddhi Expressway

The highway police have been conducting safety checks of vehicles, including condition of their tyres, air/nitrogen pressure and the condition of emergency windows, while plying on the Samruddhi Expressway here in Maharashtra, officials said.

The move comes after 25 people died when their private bus caught fire on the Nagpur-Mumbai 'Samruddhi Expressway' in Buldhana district on July 1.

As per an official release issued on Tuesday, the highway police, following directions from Additional Director General (Traffic) Ravindra Kumar Singal, checked every vehicle, including 98 buses, plying on the Samruddhi Expressway from Nagpur to Buldhana over the last two days.

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They checked the tyre condition, nitrogen/air pressure in tyres, seating capacity, emergency windows, fire control equipment, whether bus had two drivers and conductors or not and possessed valid documents and other important factors, the release said.

The police also spoke to travellers and created awareness about road safety guidelines, it said.

Notably, the private bus which caught fire on the 'Samruddhi Expressway' leading to the death of 25 passengers on July 1 was issued a Pollution Under Control (PUC) certificate nine hours after the horrific incident, an RTO official said on Tuesday.

The authority has now sought a report from the local Regional Transport Office in this regard.

Transport commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar told PTI that an FIR would be registered against the centre which issued the PUC certificate if it was found to be at fault.

He has sought a report from the Yavatmal deputy Regional Transport Office, he said.

It is mandatory for every vehicle owner to have a valid PUC certificate showing that it complies with the emission norms. A vehicle without a PUC is liable to be prosecuted under the Motor Vehicles Act.