NHRC issues notice to all states over dangerous bus designs, demands report within two weeks

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has sent a letter to the Chief Secretaries of all states and union territories expressing serious concern over the unsafe design of public transport buses. Complaints received by the Commission allege that in many buses, the driver's cabin is being built completely separate, preventing timely communication between the driver and passengers in case of a fire or emergency. The Commission has described this as a major threat to the lives of passengers and a serious violation of the fundamental right to life under Article 21.

The complaint stated that in recent times, several buses have caught fire during travel, resulting in the death of several people. The Commission's bench (headed by Member Priyank Kanoongo) took cognizance of the matter under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993, and sought a detailed Action Taken Report (ATR) from the Ministry of Transport and the Central Institute of Road Transport (CIRT), Pune, within two weeks.

In its report, the CIRT stated that an investigation conducted at the request of the Rajasthan Transport Department revealed several serious deficiencies in the bus that met with the accident. Standards were violated in the construction of the bus body. The driver's partition door, which is against regulations, was installed in sleeper buses. Buses longer than 12 meters are required to have at least five emergency exits, but none were available. The Fire Detection and Suppression System (FDSS), mandatory since 2019, was not present in the bus. Dangerous parts like the sliders and chassis extensions of the sleeper coaches were installed without permission.

The CIRT made several important recommendations. The Central Road Transport Corporation stated that driver partitions should be removed from all sleeper coaches, FDSS should be installed compulsorily, 10 kg fire extinguishers should be checked, and all bus body designs that violate regulations should be immediately discontinued.

The Commission stated that the bus fire on October 14th was the result of gross disregard for regulations. Not only the manufacturer and bodybuilder, but also the officials who issued the fitness certificates, were guilty of serious negligence. The Commission categorically termed this as criminal negligence. The Commission recommended that the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, issue an advisory to all states for strict compliance with the regulations. A national-level mechanism should be developed to ensure that no bus operator or bodybuilder can evade safety standards.

All Chief Secretaries must implement all CIRT recommendations across their states. Immediate action should be taken against negligent officials and manufacturers. Affected families should be provided with appropriate compensation and assistance. All states have been ordered to submit ATRs within two weeks.