The ill-fated Tata mini bus that caught fire in Panvel on Thursday morning was being driven without the mandatory carriage permit to ferry schoolchildren. It was carrying six children more than its permitted capacity; and did not have the mandatory safety equipment like a fire extinguisher.

This is despite a similar incident in January 2008, in which three children were charred to death when an LPG-powered Omni van carrying them home from school in suburban Jogeshwari caught fire. The transport department had then laid out stringent norms regarding safety measures for buses owned by schools or being contracted as school buses (see box).

Also, while the cause of Thursday’s fire remains unclear, the Regional Transport Office suspects a short-circuit. “The owner was ferrying schoolchildren without permit. The permit was surrendered on August 13 by the bus owner, Vishwanath Phadtare, as it was originally in the name of Pillai College of Science and Commerce, New Panvel. The owner did not complete the necessary procedures to change the name on the permit,” said State Transport Commissioner Deepak Kapoor.

He said the transport department will file a case against Phadtare for using the vehicle without necessary permit. “It is an offence under the Motor Vehicles Act and we will file a case against the accused tomorrow morning in the court of the JMFC in Pen.”

According to Regional Transport Office, Panvel, the primary inspection of the charred mini bus revealed that a few of the mandatory safety guidelines could have been flouted. “We could not find the mandatory fire extinguisher. The bus did not have safety grills. Though there was a small first-aid box, which was partially burnt,” said Bajrang Kharmate, Deputy RTO, Panvel.

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