Fire at NMMT Depot in Navi Mumbai Guts Multiple Buses; Sparks Concerns Over EV Safety

Navi Mumbai, June 4: A major fire broke out at the Navi Mumbai Municipal Transport (NMMT) depot in Ghansoli on Wednesday morning, destroying at least five buses, including both electric and diesel variants. Preliminary investigations suggest that the blaze was triggered by a short circuit during repair work on one of the electric buses.

Firefighters responded swiftly to the emergency and managed to bring the flames under control before they could spread further. Fortunately, no injuries or casualties were reported. However, the incident has caused significant financial damage to the transport department.

The fire has reignited concerns over the fire safety standards of electric vehicles (EVs), particularly in the public transport sector. The Ghansoli depot incident comes just days after a report revealed that 50 newly delivered electric buses to the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) undertaking were found lacking critical fire safety systems.

These 12-metre-long buses, supplied by Evey Trans Private Limited—a subsidiary of Olectra—are part of a 2,100-bus order aimed at strengthening Mumbai’s public transportation network. The buses were registered under the Tardeo Regional Transport Office (RTO) between March 18 and May 16 with the MH-01 EW registration series. However, some units that arrived after May 16 remain unregistered.

Inspections by transport officials revealed that none of the 50 buses were equipped with Fire Detection and Suppression Systems (FDSS), a key safety requirement under the Automotive Industry Standard (AIS-135). Without the FDSS, the buses pose a potential fire hazard and have been grounded at the Shivaji Nagar depot pending further action.

“FDSS is critical for onboard safety. It can detect and suppress fires within seconds, especially in engine compartments, and issues alarms to enable evacuation,” said an official on condition of anonymity. According to sources, a shortage of FDSS units in the market led the supplier to dispatch the buses early to expedite registration and processing. The systems are expected to be installed by mid-June.

As electric vehicles become an integral part of India’s green mobility mission, incidents like these underscore the urgent need to enforce stringent safety compliance and ensure public confidence in emerging transport technologies.