Patna, Jan. 6: City bus operators today received an ultimatum from the district administration to either get functional fire extinguishers on their vehicles or face cancellation of their permit.

Sources said this order was prompted by the AMRI Hospitals tragedy in Calcutta last year and a gas cylinder catching fire at Danapur last Friday.

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of his janata darbar, divisional commissioner K.P. Ramaiah asked the operators to keep fire extinguishers in their buses failing which they would lose their permits.

“All buses running in the Patna division should have fire extinguishers in their buses by January 31. Bus operators do not take fire safety measures that results in mishaps. I do not want to encourage such practices. The bus operators have to realise the importance of these equipment that can save the lives of the bus passengers,” Ramaiah said.

“The bus operators are given permits on the condition that safety measures such as first aid and fire extinguishers would be there in the buses. However, these rules are consistently violated. Bus operators would face action if they fail to follow the order,” he said.

The Telegraph found that very few buses are following the fire safety measures. Manoj Prasad, the driver of a bus on route number 9 plying between Gandhi Maidan and Kurji Mor, said: “I am only a driver and therefore I cannot suggest my boss to keep the fire extinguisher inside the bus. However, I agree that they should be kept in the buses. Should there be an incident of fire, even we would not have an option apart from running away from the bus.”

Shailendra Kumar Choudhary, the joint commissioner-cum-secretary of Regional Transport Authority (RTA), said there are 350 buses running in Patna City and 25 conditions have been mentioned in the rule for general buses and 15 for school buses. Under such circumstances, fire safety is certainly the most important criteria.”

General secretary of Bihar State Road Transport Corporation Employee Federation Ajay Kumar said: “We have requested the corporation to issue fire safety tools several times but still they have not been put into practice. Now that the divisional commissioner has given the order, I think that the corporation will now execute it.”

Daily commuters expressed their satisfaction at Ramaiah’s order. Abhishek Kumar, a resident of Mahendru, said: “I hardly find any fire safety measures in the buses and those that are there do not work. Now, operators would install the extinguishers, otherwise the operators would lose their permit.”

Even other commuters felt the fear factor would work well for the people. Another resident of Patna City Vinay Keshri said: “(By not following the rules) the bus operators have put our lives in danger. Let alone fire extinguishers, the bus operators do not even have basic things such as the first aid box. I am always wary of something going wrong when I board a crowded bus. Even after the recent incidents of fire, the operators have not taken a step.”

A senior official of Eden transport said all their buses have the required fire safety tools. However, he admitted that on a number of occasions the buses are not provided safety equipment.