Caption: Passengers look for their luggage in the cabin before fleeing from the SRS bus that caught fire. It was going from Chikodi to Bangalore.
A private sleeper bus that left Chikodi for Bengaluru, with 30 passengers on it, caught fire four hours after it left Bengaluru, on Monday. There were no casualties. Some passengers sustained minor injuries.
The bus, belonging to SRS Travels, left Chikodi at
8 pm. Everything was fine till 12 midnight when the driver stopped the bus after noticing that the bus caught fire.
Within minutes, passengers found themselves engulfed in flames. Everyone was struggling to escape from the rapidly-spreading smoke. In the chaos, two women sustained injuries as they forced their way out, in desperation, through the emergency exit door.
Manoj Talwar, driver of the bus, said, “I informed the concerned authority to do a routine check-up before our departure, but my warnings were overlooked."
Passengers waited for three hours for an alternative bus, despite the headquarters of the travels company being as near as 20 km. The delay left female passengers distressed as it was already midnight. Kavita R, a passenger, said, “The lack of network signal in the area left us feeling vulnerable, making it extremely challenging to reach out for any assistance.”
Because of the fire, some of the passengers missed important appointments. Students bound for the annual CISF Head Constable Recruitment exam were upset. Shravankumar G, one of three candidates, said, “Being the sole breadwinner for my family, this exam held the potential to transform my life. However, due to the negligence of SRS Travels' authorities, I missed this crucial opportunity.”
Similarly, Tanvi K, an IT professional who had a fundraising meeting with foreign delegates regarding her startup, missed the crucial opportunity due to the bus delay. She said, "Because of the irresponsible bus authorities, I not only missed my meeting but I have also been left stranded for hours at night, risking my safety."
Passengers tried to contact SRS Travels' head office. However, the response from one executive was particularly rude and unhelpful, said the passengers. He offered no assurance or solution. Jagannath S, a passenger, said, "The authorities' dismissive response is unacceptable. We pay for their services, and they must ensure a solution to prevent such ordeals for future travelers."
No compensation was offered to the passengers. Rangappa, Desk Officer, Transport Department of Karnataka, said, “Such negligence can cost the lives of people. The concerned authorities of the company should take responsibility and initiate compensation for the inconvenience caused and make sure that such incidents don’t occur in the future.”
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