Smoke in 2 buses,DTC says no fire

According to the police,smoke was reported from a bus plying between Badarpur and Gurgaon at 9.20 am,when the bus was in Prahladpur,South Delhi. “Two fire tenders were rushed to the spot — all 40-odd passengers had come out by then,” a fire official said.

Though the fire official said the vehicle’s engine caught fire,a DTC official said: “There was no fire. The driver found the coolant was falling on the hot surface of the engine.”

Later,around 12.30 pm,another DTC low-floor bus,on its way from Anand Parbat to Noida,had a fire alarm at Akshardam flyover in East Delhi. All 34 passengers came out before the fire engines arrived,officials said,adding that rear right wheel of the bus was overheated.

“The driver and passengers poured water and cooled the rim. There was no fire,” the DTC spokesperson said. Two fire tenders were sent to the spot.

Both buses were manufactured by Tata Motors. Alarmed by regular breakdowns and fire incidents in DTC buses,Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit has called a meeting of officials and bus manufacturers on Monday.