Hyderabad: A lack of regular servicing and maintenance is believed to be the primary reason for vehicles – cars and buses — catching fire. RTC-run Volvo buses need special care and must not be attended to by regular mechanics at the bus depots.

The care, in fact, is part of the agreement signed between transport firms and Volvo. But two separate incidents of Volvo buses catching fire – in Warangal and Jangaon districts – prove that the buses are being operated without adequate servicing.

Experts say overheating and short circuits of wiring in vehicles led to the mishaps. One of the buses was completely gutted. The fires spread fast. In a mishap at Palem, in Nalgonda district, a bus operated by Jabbar Travels caught fire and about 45 passengers lost their lives.

An employee at an RTC workshop in the city admits they are often short on critical materials. “At our depot, there is a shortage of coolant and radiator meshes. Drivers say their vehicle radiator heats up due to seasonal rise in temperature. Almost all depots have written to the head office and are waiting for stock to arrive,” the employee said.

But it’s not just buses. Negligence and faulty wiring is also causing passenger cars to catch fire. These vehicles are being fitted with after-market modifications by owners who often are not aware of correct techniques.

Motor vehicle inspector from the transport department B. Sairam Reddy, says poor wiring system was a leading cause of fire mishaps. “Owners must focus on wiring around the radiator and engine. Temperatures in the engine bay can exceed 100 degree Celsius causing the wiring insulation to melt. If the engine ends up coming in contact with earth line from another system’s wiring, there could be sparks and at high speeds, the wind can blow those little sparks into a fire,” he said.

Mr Reddy added: “Most of the motorists replace company-fitted headlamps (60/55 wattage) with ones of 100/90 wattage. Filaments in these melt quickly in cars with low-capacity engines. Continued use of parking lights during idling also increases load on wiring systems. Adding unbranded fog lamps, louder horns that consume more power and splicing wires using tape can severely increase risk of fires in passenger cars".