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Vijayawada: The ill-fated Kaveri Travels bus was found to have multiple violations as far as safety was concerned. The bus, which was registered with a capacity of 43 seats according to Vahan data, was converted into a sleeper coach. According to Central Motor Vehicle (CMV) rules, sleeper buses should get approval from the registration authority for layout of seats and measurements of the bus body, including height, width, and length.The bus also lacked adequate fire safety mechanisms. Sleeper buses should have four emergency exits, including two roof hatches. They should also have a fire alarm with smoke detectors to alert passengers in the event of a fire. Sufficient fire-retardant material should be provided, which is suitable for the combustible material used, and iron hammers should be provided to break open glass windows in case of emergencies. However, this bus did not comply with most of the safety mechanisms, according to DIG Koya Praveen.After checking the bus that was reduced to ashes, Praveen said the vehicle contained a lot of combustible material inside, but adequate fire safety equipment was not there."It's a serious safety concern and there is need to bring strict guidelines for the safety of passengers. The combustible material might have contributed to the fast spreading of the fire, leaving no chance for many people to escape," he said.A senior transport department official said as the bus was not registered in Andhra Pradesh, they cannot enforce local rules on buses registered in other states. The registration rules vary from state to state, and travel operators are taking advantage of the liberalised tourist vehicle policy to get their vehicles registered in one state and ply them in other states, he said.
Kolkata: A tragedy that unfolded on the Hyderabad-Bengaluru corridor, where a private sleeper coach was engulfed in flames after colliding with a two-wheeler in Kurnool district, Andhra Pradesh, on Friday morning has sent shock waves among major bus operators in Kolkata. Transport department officers have asked bus operators to strictly adhere to safety protocols issued by the state govt.The fire reportedly began when the bike went under the bus and its fuel cap came off, generating sparks that ignited the interior of the bus. Authorities say the door could not be opened due to a short circuit ...Read More >
Delhi Mall Fire Tragedy: A disturbing voice message from Kumar Dhirender Pratap, who was 25 years old and an aspirant for UPSC, has generated outrage as he passed away in a raging fire at Vishal Mega Mart, Karol Bagh. Stranded in a smoke-filled elevator, Pratap had left his last messages for his older brother at 6:51 pm, "Bhaiya ab saans phool raha. Kuch karo" (Brother, I am short of breath now. Do something). Pratap, a resident of Sonbhadra, Uttar Pradesh, had come back to Delhi only 48 hours ago to resume his preparation for civil services. A fire, reportedly due to a short circuit on the f ...Read More >
Tirupati: A large consignment of mobile phones in the luggage compartment of the Vemuri Kaveri Travels bus may have significantly intensified the inferno and accelerated the loss of lives, it has emerged.A consignment of 234 new smartphones was being transported in the bus going to Bengaluru from Hyderabad. Preliminary investigation revealed that a Hyderabad-based businessman, identified as Manganath, was transporting the consignment of mobile phones, worth approximately Rs 46 lakh, Kurnool polic ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Conducting raids on private bus operators for a few days whenever accidents occur and ignoring their violations later has become allegedly become a routine practice for some Road Transport Authority (RTA) officials in Telangana. Following Friday's mishap near Kurnool, RTA officials once again launched statewide inspections on Saturday. Frequent accidents involving private buses are being attributed to negligence by some RTA officials and the rampant collection of 'mamools' (bribes) from transport operators. Some higher officials allegedly fix monthly targets for motor vehicle inspe ...Read More >
A bus fire near Thaiyat village in Jaisalmer claimed 20 lives. Authorities have released helpline numbers for the public to assist in identifying victims and supporting affected families. DNA identification efforts are underway, with an expert team en route to Jodhpur. A day after 20 passengers were killed after a bus travelling from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur caught fire on Tuesday, authorities in the District Administration of Jodhpur and Jaisalmer have issued their respective helpline numbers for t ...Read More >
Bareilly (UP), Jul 17 (PTI) A teacher from Bahedi district, who went viral recently after reciting a poem mentioning Kanwar Yatra, approached the police on Thursday stating a threat to his life from anti-social elements. A case has been registered at Bahedi police station based on a complaint from Dr Rajneesh Kumar Gangwar, a teacher at MGM Inter College in the district. According to Circle Officer Arun Kumar Singh, Gangwar's complaint says that ever since his recitation of the poem 'Tum Kanwad Lene Mat Jana, Gyaan Ka Deepak Jalaana' (You don't go get Kavad, light the lamp of knowledge inste ...Read More >
Pune: Perennial traffic snarls, waterlogged streets and crater-like potholes leading to a frustrating commute has become a daily reality for hundreds of IT professionals trying to get to and from their offices or homes in Hinjewadi -- especially amid rainy conditions.Crowned as Maharashtra's largest IT park, the Rajiv Gandhi Infotech Park in Hinjewadi has crumbled under the heavy downpour witnessed by the city late in May. Techies told TOI they have been taking two hours on average to finish a journey that usually requires 40 minutes. Many were even seen wading through water to get home after ...Read More >
KURNOOL: Most passengers on the Kaveri bus on Friday could not escape after the fire incident as the emergency door got jammed. The illegally re-designed bus obstructed their exit. According to guidelines of the central government's MoRTH (Ministry of Road Transport and Highways), every bus should have emergency doors, windows, escape hatches, and even trap doors on the floor to ensure passenger safety, alongside passenger convenience. However, many travel bus operators modify these approved guidelines to create berths unofficially to maximise profit. In the case of the V. Kaveri bus, though ...Read More >
Kurnool (Andhra Pradesh), Oct 26 (SocialNews.XYZ) The rider of the bike which became the cause of Friday's bus fire tragedy near here killing 19 passengers was drunk, but the bus driver was not found under the influence of alcohol, a senior police official said on Sunday. While the reckless manner in which the rider was seen riding the bike in the CCTV footage obtained by police on Saturday had clearly indicated that he was drunk, the forensic report confirmed on Sunday that he was under the influence of alcohol. The report from the Regional Forensic Science Laboratory (RFSL), Kurnool confir ...Read More >
Mumbai, April 2: Following recent gas leakage and fire incidents at Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital (Sion Hospital), the civic administration has initiated a comprehensive safety review across the facility. The hospital administration has decided to conduct a detailed audit of all electrical equipment and fire safety systems to assess the hospital's preparedness in handling emergencies. Recent incidents trigger safety review According to officials, the first incident occurred on March 24, when a gas leak was reported near Gate No. 1 of the hospital. Preliminary findings suggest th ...Read More >
Kota, Jun 6 (PTI) A relationship manager in an ICICI bank branch in Kota allegedly swindled around Rs 4.58 crore from customers' accounts only to lose the lot of it in the stock market, police on Friday said. She was arrested last week and is currently under judicial custody, they said. Also Read | Bengaluru Stampede: Police Complaint Lodged Against Virat Kohli Over Stampede Tragedy Near Chinnaswamy Stadium. The accused, Sakshi Gupta, was posted as a relationship manager at ICICI Bank's DCM branch. Police said she had been pilfering from more than 110 accounts belonging to 41 customers for ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 5 (PTI) "Bhaiya ab saans phool raha. Kuch karo...(Brother I am short of breath now. Do something)," that was the last message Kumar Dhirender Pratap managed to sent his elder brother -- a desperate cry for help from inside a smoke-filled elevator. Barely 48-hours after returning to Delhi to restart his UPSC preparations, the 25-year-old aspirant from Banaras found himself trapped in a lift at Vishal Mega Mart in Karol Bagh, as fire raged through the building. He had come back with hopes of a fresh start but instead, he died gasping for breath, waiting for help that came too la ...Read More >
New Delhi, Jul 18 (PTI) The central drugs laboratories have found 55 samples manufactured by various firms in June to be "not of standard quality", health ministry officials said on Friday. Further, state drugs testing laboratories have identified 130 drugs samples as 'not of standard quality', they said. Also Read | Chhattisgarh: 6 Bodies of Naxals Recovered in Ongoing Encounter With Security Forces in Narayanpur. According to routine regulatory surveillance activity, the list of 'not of standard quality' and spurious drugs are being displayed on the Central Drugs Standard Control Organisa ...Read More >
VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh road transport department has undertaken a statewide inspection of private buses, following the recent Kurnool bus mishap. Acting on directions from transport commissioner Manish Sinha, the authorities launched a two-day drive across the state to screen private vehicles for safety and compliance. Cases have been registered against 361 travel buses found violating administrative norms. During the checks, 40 buses were seized for serious breaches, while 63 buses were flagged for unauthorised alterations to their seating arrangements. Fines have been levied on ope ...Read More >
Hyderabad (Telangana) [India], July 17 (ANI): A comprehensive fire mock drill was conducted at the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate on Thursday in collaboration with the Telangana State Fire Department, aimed at enhancing emergency response systems and inter-departmental coordination during fire-related disasters. The drill featured a live demonstration by Madhapur Station Fire Officer Anjaneyulu Dodla, who briefed attendees on various fire safety tools, types of fire emergencies, and appropriate response methods. He also explained how to act during emergencies, the importance of remaining ca ...Read More >
Hyderabad: Equating drunk drivers to terrorists and describing drunk driving as an "act of terror on the roads of Hyderabad", police commissioner VC Sajjanar has vowed to adopt a stringent zero-tolerance policy against drunk driving cases going forward.In a scathing attack against offenders who choose to drive while being under the influence of alcohol, the commissioner called the Kurnool bus tragedy a preventable massacre, caused by the reckless and irresponsible behaviour of an intoxicated bike ...Read More >
Gurgaon: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for heatwave conditions in the southern and southwestern parts of Punjab and Haryana from June 9 to 11, warning of a sharp rise in temperatures that could touch 43-46°C in some areas. According to the Meteorological Centre in Chandigarh, maximum temperatures across southern and western Punjab were already hovering between 40°C and 42.6°C on Sunday, with Bathinda recording the highest at 42.6°C. Meanwhile, northern and eastern parts, including Chandigarh, saw temperatures between 37°C and 40°C.IMD forecast that maximu ...Read More >
VIJAYAWADA: In the wake of the Kurnool bus tragedy that claimed 19 lives, the Andhra Pradesh Transport Department launched a massive statewide enforcement drive on Sunday to curb violations by private travel operators. The special operation, conducted across all districts, led to 361 cases being booked for various offences, while 40 private buses were seized for serious irregularities. The move follows the fatal accident near Chinnatekuru in Kurnool district, where a sleeper bus of Vemuri Kaveri Travels caught fire after a collision, exposing grave lapses in safety standards and regulatory vi ...Read More >
The Uttar Pradesh government announced a fare reduction of up to 10 per cent on all air-conditioned buses operated by UPSRTC, effective immediately. This move aims to provide more affordable and comfortable travel for commuters, applying to various AC bus services. However, new AC buses registered from January 1, 2024, are excluded from this concession. The Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday announced a fare reduction of up to 10 per cent in all air-conditioned buses operated by the State Roa ...Read More >
Kolkata, Sep 16 (PTI) Economist and former CPI(M) leader Prasenjit Bose joined the Congress during a programme in the metropolis, and asserted that he would support the party in its fight to "save the Constitution". Bose (51) became a part of the Congress at a formal joining ceremony here on Monday in the presence of party leaders Ghulam Ahmad Mir, Syed Naseer Hussain and Kanhaiya Kumar, besides state unit president Subhankar Sarkar. "We have to protect the Constitution, establish a government that is non-communal. Only the Congress can do that. I have joined the Congress to be part of its fi ...Read More >
Officials from Cyberabad police and Telangana Fire Services Department during the fire mock drill on Thursday. A large-scale fire mock drill was carried out at the Cyberabad Police Commissionerate on Thursday, in an attempt to improve emergency preparedness and inter-agency coordination in the face of fire-related disasters. The exercise was conducted in collaboration with the Telangana State Fire Services Department. The drill began with the activation of the fire alarm system, triggering an ...Read More >
Mumbai, July 17 (SocialNews.XYZ) Dairy company Heritage Foods Limited on Thursday reported a sharp decline in net profit for the first quarter of FY26, as the company posted a net profit of Rs 40.5 crore for the April-June quarter, down 30.7 per cent from Rs 58.4 crore reported in the same period previous year (Q1 FY25). The fall in profit came despite a 10.1 per cent year-on-year (YoY) growth in revenue, which rose to Rs 1,136.7 crore from Rs 1,032.6 crore in a year-ago period, according to its stock exchange filing. The company's margins were hit due to higher input and operational costs. ...Read More >
KOCHI: A shocking early-morning accident two weeks ago, which claimed the lives of three members of a family who were returning home after seeing off a relative at Kochi airport, has served to further highlight the increased risk posed by driving at night. The tragedy has also given rise to increased demands for deploying night services to airports using luxury sleeper buses being acquired by the Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC), as previously promised by Transport Minister K B Ganesh Kumar. "Currently, there is no connectivity to airports and back at night or early morning, w ...Read More >
Jaipur: Private bus operators have once again demanded reduction in state tax for registering sleeper buses. They stated that registering a single sleeper bus in Rajasthan requires paying over Rs 30,000, whereas in neighbouring states it costs between Rs 7,000 and Rs 15,000.President of the state bus operator association, Satyanarayan Sahu, operators have to pay Rs 1,000 per sleeper seat, and buses usually have 36 sleepers."In Rajasthan, a sleeper bus operator must pay between Rs 30,000-40,000 as registration tax, then take an All India Route Permit (AITP), which has a charge of Rs 3 lakh annu ...Read More >
Lucknow: Quick thinking by bus driver Jagat Singh and his two aides, Shyam Sundar and Manish, saved the lives of 39 passengers when their Delhi-Gonda sleeper bus suddenly caught fire on the Agra-Lucknow Expressway early Sunday morning.Speaking to The Times of India, driver Jagat Singh recounted the harrowing moments before the bus was engulfed in flames. "Around 4:30 am, the rear tyre suddenly burst with a loud sound. I immediately pulled the bus to the side and got down to check. Within moments, thick smoke began rising from the rear," he said.Sensing danger, Jagat quickly tried to douse the ...Read More >
Agra: Thirteen people were charred to death and more than 100 suffered injuries in a deadly pile-up involving 18-19 vehicles - including eight passenger buses, cars and SUVs - on the Yamuna Expressway in UP's Mathura district early Tuesday.The accident was reported around 3.40am near milestone 127 under Baldeo police station. Sources said a car and a bus first collided, and as these two vehicles stopped on the road, others coming from the Agra side and heading towards Noida started piling up one ...Read More >
Gurgaon: The city, which is growing at a rapid pace, stands at a crossroads where it can learn from several innovative urban management practices of other Indian cities to tackle its own challenges. At the national conference of urban local bodies in Manesar on Thursday, mayors and municipal corporations from across the country shared their strategies, offering valuable insights for Gurgaon to consider.Surat generates Rs 140 crore from selling sewage-treated water to industries and has introduced artificial intelligence to detect waste dumping; Indore segregates waste into six streams at sourc ...Read More >
HYDERABAD: State BJP president N Ramchander Rao on Thursday slammed the Congress government and Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy for failing to address farmers' issues despite completing 19 months in office. Speaking at the Kisan Morcha state office-bearers' meeting at the BJP headquarters in Hyderabad, he accused the state government of neglecting farmers due to its skewed policies. He urged party workers to collaborate with the Kisan Morcha to highlight farmers' grievances and counter the Congress' "anti-farmer" stance. He directed the Morcha members to launch agitations, gather grassroots- ...Read More >
Lucknow, Oct 1 (SocialNews.XYZ) In a bid to further uplift the spirit of residents during the ongoing festive season, the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday announced a reduction in bus fares, including the air-conditioner ones, thereby enhancing the comfort and convenience of the daily commuters and passengers. The festive gesture by the Uttar Pradesh government for the upcoming festivals - Dussehra and Diwali has brought a smile to people's faces, and they are happily welcoming it. All the air-conditioned buses, operated by the Uttar Pradesh State Road Transport Corporation (UPSRTC), wi ...Read More >
New Delhi: None of the safety equipment worked when a fire broke out at Brahmaputra Apartments in Lutyens' Delhi on Saturday afternoon, eyewitnesses and residents of the complex claimed.Manu, who lives on the second floor, said he was standing at the main gate when he saw thick smoke rising from the parking area. "We rushed to the spot and saw the fire. We tried to use the fire safety equipment and started the pump, but there was no water supply. If it worked, we might have been able to prevent some of the damage," he said.Sumit, who stays on the third floor, pressed the fire alarm button as h ...Read More >