Narrow escape for tourists as bus catches fire during safari in Nahargarh

A group of 15 tourists had a narrow escape when the bus they were travelling in caught fire during a lion safari at Nahargarh Biological Park in Jaipur, officials said on Monday. As smoke filled the bus, panic spread among the tourists, but the driver and staff promptly alerted the control room through wireless communication, following which a forest department team, including a ranger, arrived to evacuate the tourists and ensure their safety.

The incident occurred around 3.30 pm on Sunday. Moments after the evacuation, the smoke turned into flames, and the bus caught fire. The park’s fire engine tried to douse the fire, but when the flames grew uncontrollable, an additional fire engine was called from Amber. However, by the time the second fire engine arrived, the bus was completely engulfed in flames. This marks the second major incident in a month and a half, raising serious concerns about the safety arrangements at the park.

“Initial investigations suggest that a short circuit might have caused the fire,” an official said.

Deputy Conservator of Forest Vijay Pal Singh told that the fire caught due to short circuit. “We are investigating the case. As soon as we got to know about the incident, our teams immediately reached the spot and rescued the tourists. No one was injured or hurt,” said Singh.

Singh also said that no action has been taken yet when asked if anyone was being held responsible for negligence of maintaining the vehicle.

Vaibhav Pancholy, Environmental Solicitor and member of Nahargarh Bachao Samiti told, “The vehicles which are being used in national parks, wildlife sanctuaries and other leopard reserves are extremely old vehicles and apart from their age they are not maintained properly by the forest department. These types of vehicles are hazardous for tourism as well as environment. As per Supreme Court guidelines in the TN Godavarman case, electric vehicles must be promoted for the purpose of safari in order to ensure zero pollution apart from limiting its use on daily basis. The Nahargarh incident warrants inquiry as it is a cause of serious concern for the environment and tourism.”

Spread over 720 hectares, Nahargarh Biological Park is located about 12 km from Jaipur on the Jaipur-Delhi highway, under the Aravalli range. It is a part of the Nahargarh sanctuary and is known for its rich flora and fauna.