The recurring ‘accidental’ fires gutting cars and buses in Kerala pose a new challenge to the Motor Vehicles department (MVD).
Over a dozen vehicles caught fire in the past six months, although the casualties were low. In February this year, a pregnant woman and her husband were burned to death after the car they were traveling in caught fire. In the latest incident, a 35-year-old man was charred to death when a car caught fire and exploded at Kandiyoor, near Mavelikara in Alappuzha. On Tuesday, a person sustained burns as a moving car caught fire at Vakathanam in Kottayam.
Transport Minister Antony Raju told The Hindu that the department would convene a stakeholder meeting comprising vehicle manufacturers, experts, and MVD officials on August 17 to find a solution to the frequent accidental fires involving vehicles.
A slew of causes are attributed to the fires, including poor or lack of timely maintenance; illegal modification, especially with regard to electrical accessories; electric short-circuit; and fuel line leak. Of these, illegal alterations and fuel line leaks are the major factors that contributed to accidental fires in vehicles in the State.
The MVD had earlier written to the Union Ministry of Road Transport & Highways after it reportedly found a beetle found in high-range areas boring into fuel tubes attracted by the presence of ethanol in petrol. The issue was still relevant and needed to be addressed by taking it up with vehicle manufacturers and experts, said Mr. Raju.
The illegal alterations of vehicles conducted by unauthorised electricians may lead to short circuits. The stakeholder meeting would frame guidelines for regulating the illegal alteration of vehicles by unauthorized electricians, said the Minister, adding that registration would be made compulsory for those who engaged in the work.
