Maharashtra: Bus catches fire in Thane; passengers escape unhurt

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Nearly 50 passengers travelling in a civic transport bus had a narrow escape after the vehicle caught fire in Maharashtra's Thane city on Sunday morning, an official told news agency PTI.

No one was injured in the incident, Thane Municipal Corporation's disaster management cell chief Yasin Tadvi told PTI.

The Thane Municipal Transport (TMT) bus, carrying 45 to 50 passengers, was on way from Narpoli to Chendani Koliwada when it caught fire at around 8.30 am near the Central Maidan, he said.

After noticing the fire, the bus driver and conductor immediately evacuated the passengers, he said.

Local firemen and a team of the disaster management cell rushed to the spot after being alerted and put out the blaze within 15 minutes, the official told PTI.

The bus was partially damaged, he said, adding a short-circuit was suspected to have caused the blaze.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Friday asked state and National Highway Authority of India authorities to fill potholes and solve other traffic issues on several roads, including Wada-Bhiwandi and the Mumbai-Nashik stretch passing through Thane, an official told PTI.

A release issued by Shinde's office in Thane said NHAI had been asked to fill potholes in two days.

The meeting was chaired by the CM in Mumbai and was attended by state PWD Minister Ravindra Chavan, Road Development Minister Dada Bhuse, Thane collector, superintendent of police, NHAI officials, MLCs Satyajit Tambe and Niranjan Davkhare, among others.

Shinde set up a task force under the Thane collector comprising officials from the Thane Municipal Corporation, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority and Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation to improve the condition of roads in the district, it said.

These include stretches in Thane, Kalyan-Dombivali and Mumbai-Nashik highway, the release added.

The release said, during the meeting, Tambe told the CM it took him 30 minutes to cover a stretch between Bhiwandi and Kalyan and finally had to take a local train to reach Mumbai in order to attend the Monsoon session of the Legislative Council.

(With inputs from PTI)