Bus catches fire in Thane; passengers escape unhurt
Thane (PTI): Sixty five passengers travelling in a bus had a narrow escape after the vehicle caught fire in Maharashtra's Thane city on Tuesday, a civic official said.
The incident took place at around 8 am near Utaleshwar in the city limits, Thane Municipal Corporation's regional disaster management cell (RDMC) chief Avinash Sawant said.
The Maharashtra State Road Transport Corporation (MSRTC) bus carrying at least 65 passengers was on way to neighbouring Bhiwandi town from Thane, he said.
After noticing the fire, the driver immediately stopped the bus and raised an alarm following which the passengers got down, the official said.
The bus was partly burnt, he said.
Local firemen and a team of the RDMC rushed to the spot after being alerted and doused the blaze in half-an-hour, he said.
A short-circuit is suspected to have caused the fire in the bus, which belonged to the Bhiwandi depot, the official said.
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Whoever wins heart of Gandhi family in Congress will become CM: Basavaraj Bommai
Gadag: In Congress, whoever wins the hearts of Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi will become the Chief Minister. This is a shame for the democratic system, said former Chief Minister and MP Basavaraj Bommai.
Speaking to the media in Gadag, he said there is a clash among leaders due to excessive desire for power. Cabinet ministers are trying to retain their positions. Some leaders are demanding ministerial posts saying they have won elections multiple times, while newcomers are also seeking ministerial positions. He added that the Chief Minister is trying to retain his position.
Bommai said Mallikarjun Kharge is a senior leader and feels he should have been given the Chief Minister post fairly.
He further said that Siddaramaiah and DK Shivakumar function as the high command, referring to Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi, and added that Congress is a family-based party. He reiterated that whoever wins the support of Rahul Gandhi, Sonia Gandhi, and Priyanka Gandhi becomes the Chief Minister, calling it a shame for the democratic system and alleging that the party has weakened internal democracy.
Responding to a question about allegations that officials in the government are not working, he said, “The people who made them are angry. The Congress has cheated the people who elected them. The government is completely at a standstill. No work has been done. About Rs 14,000 crores provided in Siddaramaiah's last budget have not been used. About Rs 10,000 crores were not used in the year before that either. How will the officials work if there is political conflict? If the CM says one thing and the DCM says another, this government has completely come to a standstill in the eyes of the people.”
