In response to the recent tragic accident on the Samridhi Expressway, in which 25 passengers lost their lives after a sleeper bus caught fire, the Regional Transport Department has launched a special drive to enhance the safety of private travel buses on the road. As part of the measures, the department is closely monitoring buses to prevent buses with worn tires from entering the expressway. Additionally, they are conducting a thorough check to ensure proper functionality of the emergency exits.
Regional Transport Officer Rajabhau Geete said around 10 private travel buses were stopped from entering the Samridhi Expressway due to deflated tyres. RTO Flying Squad is actively checking emergency exits and carrying out rigorous checking to avoid any possible security lapse.
As per the entry and exit records, around 70 buses enter the six-lane road from Nagpur Rural, while 30 buses come from Karanja (Lad). It has been observed that most of these buses enter the expressway at night. To ensure effective monitoring, the Transport Department has deployed a squad of Motor Vehicle Inspectors and Assistant Motor Vehicle Inspectors at each entry point.
In the wake of the July 1 accident, the RTO has issued instructions to all flying squads to follow standard operating procedures while inspecting sleeper class buses. The main focus of the inspection is to verify the proper functioning of the emergency doors in the buses.
Counseling centers have been set up at entry points with the aim of advising drivers and resolving any issues. However, concerns have been raised over the irregularity of counseling at these points. Transport Commissioner Vivek Bhimanwar has expressed concern and directed RTOs and deputy RTOs to ensure that counseling centers.