Complete disregard for fire extinguishers, emergency exits in travels

Private travels: RTO launches an investigation after Nashik incident

Aurangabad: Many passengers rely on private travel buses for going from one place to another. However, many passengers are unaware of the emergency exit in case of fire. Therefore, the possibility of loss of life during such incidents cannot be ruled out. After the accident in Nashik, the RTO has issued strict instructions to the private transport owners regarding the safety of the passengers.

Twelve passengers lost their lives In a horrific accident in the early hours of Saturday morning in Nashik. After this incident, a team of Aurangabad Regional Transport Office (RTO) visited the travel offices in the city and gave various instructions including that buses having the fire extinguishers should only be dispatched for travel. In the evening, another team of RTO inspected the travels on various routes. It was checked whether there is a fire extinguisher and emergency exit. It was also verified that more passengers are being transported than the capacity.

Passengers not informed

Only tickets are checked when passengers board the bus. But no one informs the passengers about where the fire extinguisher is kept and how to get out in case of emergency. Therefore, in case of an emergency, it is not possible to get out on time.

Notice to travel operators

It has been advised to all tour operators that they should not use buses without fire extinguishers. Emphasis is also being placed on verifying whether the extinguishers in the bus are working or expired. Notice will be issued to operators not following the orders, said Sanjay Metrewar, RTO.