Bus owners take safety measures:Daily Star

A fire extinguisher being installed inside a bus at Mohakhali Bus Terminal yesterday. This is a precaution the bus owners are taking with incidents of petrol bomb attacks on buses on the rise since the nationwide indefinite blockade was enforced earlier this month. Photo: Palash Khan Against the backdrop of widespread arson attacks on vehicles in the last few days, several transport owners started
keeping fire extinguishers inside their buses as a precautionary measure. Some of them even kept sacks of sand inside vehicles to put out fire in case of any arson attack by miscreants. Several other bus service providers have also taken initiatives to avert losses from fire damage, Khandaker Enayetullah, secretary general of Bangladesh Sarak Paribahan Samity, told The Daily Star yesterday. Mohammad Nasir, a driver of Sylhet-bound ENA Paribahan at Mohakhali Bus Stand, told The Daily Star they had started to keep fire extinguishers inside their buses since Tuesday on instructions of the owner. Joydeb Chandra Roy, commercial manager of ENA Transport Pvt Ltd, said at least 10 to 12 buses of their transport service were vandalised since January 5 and they feared further arson attacks on their vehicles during the ongoing blockade. “That is why we now keep fire extinguishers for our own safety,” he added. Fear of arson attacks that have been the ugliest aspect of the ongoing blockade grips long-route travellers and city commuters alike. According to fire service officials, over 250 vehicles were torched across the country in the last 17 days. Advertisement At least 26 people were killed and scores injured across the country since January 6. Of the victims, 10 died of burn injuries from attacks by suspected blockaders. Meanwhile, the Fire Service and Civil Defence authorities on Tuesday asked drivers, workers and common people to follow safety precautions in their movement during the ongoing blockade. They also asked transport owners to keep at least two fire extinguishers inside every bus and have training from fire service and civil defence on how to use them.