AP transport commissioner calls for tougher laws on bus safety
A recent bus fire near Markapuram, just months after a deadly blaze in Kurnool that killed 20 people, has made bus safety a big concern in Andhra Pradesh.
The latest incident involved a bus from Arunachal Pradesh, which exposed how hard it is for local authorities to manage out-of-state vehicles.
Now, Transport Commissioner Manish Kumar Sinha is calling for tougher laws to close these gaps.
Recommendations for improving safety
To tackle these issues, the state government asked experts to dig into what's going wrong.
Their upcoming report suggests busses should use fire-resistant materials and have better road visibility features.
They're also recommending installation of automatic fire-suppression systems in engine compartments and mandatory Vehicle Location Tracking (VLT) devices (GPS-based) to monitor driving hours, speed and related safety parameters.
Plus, there's a big focus on training drivers and staff so everyone knows what to do if something goes wrong, hopefully making future trips much safer for everyone on board.