Ujjain, Oct 6 (IANS) A bus travelling from Ujjain to Indore caught fire after one of its rear tyres allegedly burst in the Ramvas area, around 15 km from Ujjain, on Tuesday, forcing passengers to jump from the vehicle as smoke billowed from it.
According to preliminary information, nearly a dozen passengers were travelling on the bus. No injuries were reported, although the vehicle was completely gutted in the fire.
According to police, the incident occurred when the bus was travelling towards Indore.
The burst rear tyre reportedly caused the driver to lose control of the vehicle, following which it caught fire.
“As soon as the rear tyre burst, the bus caught fire. All passengers were evacuated safely, and no one was injured,” said police station in-charge Narendra Yadav.
The fire spread rapidly and engulfed the vehicle within minutes.
Four fire tenders reached the spot about 45 minutes after the incident was reported and brought the blaze under control following an operation that lasted nearly one-and-a-half hours.
By the time the fire was extinguished, the bus had been destroyed, leaving only its chassis.
Police and officials from the concerned departments have begun investigating the incident and are examining the circumstances that led to the fire.
The bus, bearing registration number MP-13 B 2922, was an older diesel-powered vehicle.
It carried saffron-coloured reflective markings and had the words “Mukhyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva” displayed on its windows.
Video footage from the spot also showed “Mukhyamantri Sugam Bus Seva Parivahan” written on the front of the vehicle.
The Regional Transport Office (RTO) is verifying the vehicle’s records and its connection with the state transport service.
The incident comes shortly after the launch of the Madhya Pradesh government’s ‘Mukhyamantri Sugam Parivahan Seva’, aimed at expanding inter-city and intra-city bus connectivity across the state.
The service was launched on September 25 at the BHEL Dussehra Ground in Bhopal by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav and Nitin Gadkari.
A total of 351 buses were flagged off for seven major cities under the initiative.
Ujjain received 10 buses for religious tourism, which were flagged off by Mohan Yadav from Mahakal Lok on September 27 under the ‘PM-eBus Sewa’ and ‘Ujjain Darshan Sewa’ initiatives.
The Ujjain fire also comes days after an e-bus associated with the newly launched service met with an accident in Indore’s Rajwada area, leaving one person dead and two others injured.
Ujjain Police are examining the incident and verifying the vehicle’s records to ascertain the exact circumstances surrounding the fire and its status under the transport scheme.
–IANS
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