UP, Centre announce ₹2L each for Noida bus fire victims’ families

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the family of each victim of the bus that caught fire on The Yamuna Expressway, while ₹2 lakh will also be provided from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), officials said on Thursday

The Uttar Pradesh government on Thursday announced an ex-gratia of ₹2 lakh for the family of each victim of the bus that caught fire on The Yamuna Expressway, while ₹2 lakh will also be provided from the Prime Minister’s National Relief Fund (PMNRF), officials said on Thursday.

An air-conditioned (AC) sleeper bus that caught fire in Greater Noida on Thursday, killing at least 9 people. (Sunil Ghosh / Hindustan Times)

Taking cognisance of the incident, UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath directed officials to ensure proper treatment of the injured and provide all possible assistance to the bereaved families.

Injured victims will get ₹50,000 each from the UP state government and the PMNRF.

The bus, travelling from Delhi to Mahoba in UP, caught fire on the Yamuna Expressway near Greater Noida. At least nine people died and one woman was injured. The fire is suspected to have originated in the air-conditioning unit, according to a preliminary investigation.

“Further proceedings in connection with the deceased, including postmortem and other formalities, are being carried out in coordination with their families. The bus was an AC sleeper bus carrying around 35 passengers. The vehicle has been seized and further legal proceedings are underway,” said Gautam Budh Nagar additional district magistrate (finance and revenue) Ajeet Kumar Singh.

He, as well as other senior administration officials, visited the accident site and met the relatives of the victims.

Officials said around 15 passengers were rescued and sent towards Mahoba in a special vehicle after receiving primary treatment, while some of the other passengers made their own arrangements and left in private vehicles.

The administration is coordinating with the families of the deceased for identification, postmortem and other legal formalities, officials said.

Singh said the financial assistance announced by the state government would be implemented by the district administration in accordance with the government order.

Meanwhile, Jewar MLA Dhirendra Singh expressed grief over the deaths and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved families. Singh also said that he visited the injured woman, identified as Rekha Bhardwaj, undergoing treatment at Arogya hospital and handed over the ₹50,000 assistance announced for the injured.