SAFETY STANDARDS IN BUSES AND FIRE INCIDENTS

• Automotive Industry Standards (AIS) under the Central Motor Vehicles Rules (CMVR), 1989 prescribe structural, occupant-safety and fire-safety norms for buses; AIS:052 (bus body code) and AIS:119 (sleeper coaches) are the two key codes.
• Triggered by fatal sleeper-bus fires, the Ministry of Road Transport & Highways (MoRTH) has pushed States/UTs to enforce these standards at the registration and fitness inspection stages.
• Relevant to GS-III (Infrastructure, Disaster Management) and GS-II (Centre-State enforcement of motor vehicle norms — a Concurrent List subject).