Safety under lens after 6 buses caught fire at Khadgarha stand | Ranchi News
Ranchi: A day after six buses parked at the Khadgada bus stand were gutted, drivers, operators, and passengers raised concerns over the lack of basic safety and civic facilities at one of Ranchi’s busiest transport hubs. They warned that the absence of fire-fighting preparations could result in a worse disaster in the future.Khadgada Bus Chalak Sangh president Rana Bajrangi said, “The stand is a strategic regional connector, with around 500–600 buses, including night services, operating daily. The buses, which are run under day services from the stand, ply to destinations within a 200 km range such as Simdega, Daltonganj, Tata, Hazaribag, Koderma and Deoghar. Around 50 buses are parked inside the premises of the bus stand at any given time.”The Khadgada bus stand has reported similar cases in the past, including the June 2023 blaze in which three buses were gutted.Referring to the administrative response, Rana Bajrangi said, “A fire tender was deployed at the stand for only two to four days after the last incident. Thereafter, it was withdrawn. There is no permanent fire post, no extinguishers, and no surveillance,” adding that lessons from earlier cases were never implemented. Condemned and out-of-use buses are parked on the same premises, in the absence of separate garage, increasing the risk.Bus driver Mukesh Singh said, “There are no service points to wash or inspect buses, no proper drinking water and sanitation facilities. Nearly 5,000 passengers commute daily. Yet there is no ambulance on standby.”Passengers echoed similar concerns. “If a fire breaks out during peak hours, evacuation will be impossible,” said Sakshi, a passenger bound for Hazaribag.Operators added that despite paying Rs 150 per bus as parking tax to the Ranchi Municipal Corporation, there is no visible presence of traffic police or safety personnel at the stand.
