NHRC investigates safety violations in Punjab pilgrimage buses

The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) has launched an inquiry into allegations of unsafe and non-compliant air-conditioned sleeper buses used under the Punjab government’s Mukhyamantri Tirth Yatra Yojana. The scheme is designed to facilitate pilgrimages for senior citizens and economically disadvantaged individuals.

Complaints indicate that the buses may have undergone unauthorized structural modifications, such as the installation of partitions and doors that separate the driver’s cabin from the passenger compartment. Such designs are alleged to obstruct emergency exits, windows, and essential fire detection, suppression, and emergency evacuation arrangements.

The NHRC bench, presided over by Priyank Kanoongo, has issued notices to the Chief Secretary of the Government of Punjab and the Secretary of the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways, Government of India, under Section 12 of the Protection of Human Rights Act, 1993. The Commission emphasized that the safety of elderly pilgrims must not be compromised by welfare schemes.