Hinjewadi bus fire kills 4: Pune’s IT hub grapples with security lapses

Four employees were charred to death while six employees sustained serious burns after a minibus caught fire at Punersquos Hinjewadi IT park on Wednesday morning These employees were going to the office when the incident took place A recent RTI filed by Road Forum of IT Employees president Pavanjit Uttamrao Mane revealed alarming gaps in regulation of vehicles in PuneSenior police inspector at Hinjewadi police station Kanhaiya Thorat said ldquoThe employees had left home and were coming to the office when the fire erupted at the driverrsquos cabin Some of the employees couldnrsquot come out from the front door while another door on the rear side didnrsquot open resulting in the deathsrdquoPolice officials reported that a tempo travel mini bus belonging to Vyom Graphics located in Tirumala Estate Phase Two Hinjewadi was transporting 14 employees to the company At 745 am as the bus approached Wipro Circle in Phase One it suddenly caught fire The driver Janardhan Hambardikar suffered burns to his pants forcing him and several employees to leap from the vehicle However four employees were unable to escape due to the intense fire and smoke inside the bus and tragically perishedThe charred minibus that was carrying the IT employeesAccording to a fire brigade official from PimpriChinchwad Municipal Corporation the fire spread rapidly and the employees who managed to escape couldnrsquot rescue those who were trapped inside The fire was later dousedPolice said that five injured persons were taken to the Ruby Hall clinic where they are undergoing treatment The police fire brigade and RTO officials are trying to ascertain the cause of fireThe deceased were identified as Subhash Bhosale Shankar Shinde Gurudas Lokare and Raju Chavan The injured employees Praveen Nikam Chandrakant Malaji Sandeep Shinde Vishwanath Jhori Vishwas Khanvilkar and the driver Janardhan Hambardikar were admitted to Ruby Hall Clinic in Hinjewadi for treatment The other employeesmdashVishwas Krishnarao Godse Manjiri Aadkar Vittal Dighe and Pradip Rautmdashescaped unharmedOfficials speakVyom Graphics officials declined to comment stating they were at Yashwantrao Chavan Memorial Hospital Pimpri where the bodies were taken for postmortemRahul Jadhav deputy regional transport officer told midday ldquoOur team visited the accident site for an investigation A detailed report will be available after their analysisrdquo When asked if drivers received safety trainingmdashgiven that the driver did not use the fire extinguishermdashJadhav clarified that such training is provided by agencies not the RTODr Sudheer Rai chief operating officer Ruby Hall Clinic Hinjawadi and Behram Khodaiji chief executive officer Ruby Hall Clinic Pune in the statement released said ldquoEarlier today a bus fire incident led to multiple casualties and injuries Six patients were brought to Ruby Hall Clinic Hinjawadi for emergency medical care Among them two individuals have sustained over 40 per cent burns and are in critical condition one has suffered 20 per cent burns and another with 5 per cent burns remains unconscious One patient with minor burns is stable Tragically five individuals were declared deceased at the siterdquoThe officials further added that the two patients with severe burns were stabilised and later shifted to Surya Sahyadri Hospital Pune city for further specialized burn management Two individuals who sustained minor injuries were treated and discharged Three patients with burn injuries ranging from 2030 per centmdashall above the age of 3540mdashcontinue to receive medical care at our facility and are in stable conditionThe Central Institute of Road Transport CIRT safety expert stated that the tempo traveller had an emergency door at the back which should be used during emergencies The fire extinguisher was in the driverrsquos cabin as per government codes A detailed analysis is requiredDnyanendra Hulsure president of the Hinjawadi Employees and Residentsrsquo Association HEART said ldquoThis is a very unfortunate accident Itrsquos sad that bystanders couldnrsquot help While an inquiry will identify the root cause unauthorised transport like Piaggio Autos sixseaters and Tempo Travellers should be bannedrdquo14Total no of people on the minibus745amTime of the incident on WednesdaylsquoMultiple complaints but no action yetrsquoTHE Hinjewadi IT hub home to some of Indiarsquos leading technology firms and startups is facing serious safety concerns as consecutive accidents expose poor infrastructure and lack of regulation The arearsquos growing transport issues have become a major hazard for commutersHinjewadi suffers from deteriorating roads reckless driving and unregulated public transport Outdated minibuses overloaded water tankers driving on the wrong side and heavy vehicles operating without proper checks have turned daily commutes into a lifethreatening ordealA recent RTI filed by Road Forum of IT Employees president Pavanjit Uttamrao Mane revealed alarming gaps in regulation The Pune RTO does not maintain records of RMC trucks and dumpers operating in the city It also lacks details about training programmes for heavy vehicle drivers lists of authorised drivers or any implemented safety measuresThis negligence has resulted in repeated accidents endangering the lives of thousands of employees and residentsMane said ldquoOn January 25 two college students from Baramati lost their lives when a speeding cement mixer truck overturned onto their twowheeler near Sakhar Patil Chowk on HinjewadiMaan Road They were heading towards Mahalunge when the RMC truck lost control while making a left turn crushing them on the spot The driver was later arrested for negligence After that I filed the RTI queryrdquoHe further added ldquoTodayrsquos incident raises serious concerns about the safety of outdated and poorly maintained minibuses in the IT corridor Despite multiple complaints authorities have failed to take action against unsafe public transport used daily by thousands of employeesrdquoMane also highlighted the lack of training among drivers ldquoThe driver didnrsquot even know how to handle an emergency He couldnrsquot operate a simple fire extinguisher Therersquos no training no accountability Companies hire agencies which then subcontract the work This leaves IT employeesrsquo safety completely at riskrdquoBacktoback fatalities have sparked demands for stricter transport regulations improved road infrastructure and stronger safety checks Employees students and residents urge authorities to act immediately to prevent further tragediesThe Forum of IT Employees FITE members will meet the Pune police commissioner on Thursday to raise their safety concerns