In a horrific incident, the conductor of a Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) was charred to death after the bus caught fire. The incident happened around 4.45 a.m. on Friday (March 10).
The deceased has been identified as Muthaiah, who was sleeping inside the vehicle parked at the Lingadheeranahalli bus stand after completing night shift. The reason for the fire is not known, and investigation is on.
In a press release, the BMTC said that after parking the bus, the driver, Prakash, went to take rest in a dormitory reserved for the crew at the stand. However, Muthaiah preferred to sleep inside the bus.
The vehicle, which was inducted into the BMTC fleet in 2017, had run 3.75 lakh km.
The Byadarahalli police have initiated an investigation to ascertain the reason behind the accident and recovered CCTV footage installed 300 meters from the scene. “The footage suggests that the fire engulfed the entire bus very fast. However, there is no other footage to ascertain the exact reason for the blaze,” a police officer said.
Though an electrical short circuit is suspected to be the reason, the police are yet to establish if the trigger was internal or external.
A senior police officer said the victim would have got up inhaling the toxic fumes but failed to escape. The charred body was found later. Only a post-mortem report and FSL analysis would reveal the exact reason, based on which further investigations will be carried out, said the officer.
Compensation
The BMTC announced a compensation of ₹5 lakhs to the dependents of the deceased. Besides, ₹3 lakhs would be provided as a group insurance benefit. A decision has been taken to provide employment to the wife of Muthaiah on compassionate grounds. The deceased was survived by his wife, Manjula, and a 14-old girl. The family is a native of Bagalkot.
Safety issues
The incident highlighted the issue of safety of transport staff who usually sleep inside the bus. After Friday’s incident, demands have come in from various quarters asking the BMTC to prioritise the safety of crew on night shift.
After the incident, the management decided to audit safety issues at places where buses are usually parked after night shift duty. A release from the BMTC stated that corrective measures would be taken by bringing out guidelines.
