Staff Reporter :
At least 15 buses were burnt after a fire broke out at a Bangladesh Road Transport Corporation (BRTC) depot, Joar Sahara in the capital in the early hours of Saturday, just one week before Eid-ul-Fitr.
Of 15 buses, eight were out-of-order. Four double-deckers, two single-deckers and one minibus were completely burnt, said Mohammad Moniruzzaman, Manager of BRTC Joar Sahara depot.
The origin of the fire could not be identified immediately. However, a primary investigation suggests that a short circuit in one of the vehicles in the depot around 1:30am might have caused the fire, said Shafiqul Islam, Senior Station officer of Fire Service and Civil Defence (FSCD) in Uttara.
Being informed, six units of firefighters from Uttara, Kurmitola and Baridhara fire service station rushed to the spot and doused the fire after an hour-long effort, the fire service officials said.
The fire blew up around 1:30am on Saturday while the workers were working in the night shift. Fire fighters reached there to fight against the blaze but were not able to extinguish the fire immediately due to lack of water. Later the blaze was brought under control using the water from another pump near the depot, according to him.
Secretary Md Nazrul Islam said that a probe team headed by an Additional Secretary has been formed for investigating the incident.
In some depots, there are many BTRC buses that are not used for various reasons including strong influence from private bus owners. For example, in Khanpur bus depot in Narayangonj more than 50 buses are found that are not used. Many wheels and parts of engines were found scattered here and there. Due to lack of proper care and maintenance these parts are being destroyed. However, Manager of the depot Azizul Haque did not want to make any comment on this.
