Passengers travelling in a minibus had to be evacuated after thick smoke started to come out of its engine at the crossing of Central Avenue and MG Road on Thursday morning, disrupting weekday traffic on one of the major arterial roads in the city.

Police later found that the vehicle’s insurance coverage had expired in March this year, making it unfit to ply on the roads. The incident was only an indicator of how many such unfit buses could be plying on roads.

According to the records with the transport department, the insurance cover of the bus was valid till March 1, 2024.

“If a bus plying on the road has no insurance cover and is involved in an accident, the victims will find it difficult to get any insurance claim. The process becomes very complicated,” explained an officer of the traffic department.

Officers of Jorasanko police station said thick smoke was seen coming out from the bus's engine which plies between Birati and BBD Bag.

The smoke from the bus made it difficult for other vehicles to drive past the stretch.

One fire tender managed to tackle the situation.

“No one was trapped or injured. There was mostly smoke and sparks from the engine. One fire tender was used to bring the situation under control,” said an officer of the local police station.

The bus that had been impounded would undergo a mechanical test to ascertain if it had developed any technical snag.

A senior police officer of the traffic department said it is vital for public transport to be completely “fit” before plying on the road as they carry a huge number of passengers.

The bus that was impounded on Thursday has 10 traffic violation cases pending against it, the police said.