PONDA: A new scooter was reduced to ashes on the National Highway 4A, near Amigos, at Curti Junction, after it suddenly caught fire, Friday, when the owner tried to kick-start the vehicle, after it stopped while in motion.
The owner stated that around 10.30 am, initially smoke came out from the scooter when he kick-started it, but soon flames engulfed the vehicle, and it was reduced to ashes, causing a loss of Rs 55000.
The Ponda fire personnel rushed to the accident site, which was just one-and-a-half kilometre within a few minutes, but all that was left of the scooter were ashes.
According to firemen, Moturaj Gawandi was driving his new 10-month-old Suzuki Access Scooter GA08 W 5666 towards Mollem from Margao. When he reached Curti, the scooter stopped. Gawandi took it to the side of the road and when he attempted to kick start the vehicle, smoke started billowing from the engine. Though Gawandi rushed to the roadside shops to fetch water, when he returned, he found his scooter engulfed in flames.
In another incident, a roadside truck which was parked near the Maruti temple, somehow got into motion and rammed into a small shop at Varkhandem, Ponda. The shop is owned by a woman. Fortunately, neither she nor her three daughters were in the shop at the time of the incident. The driver had left the truck’s engine running and had gone to fetch water.
The truck damaged the shop, and brought down the roof sheets. According to Varhkhandem locals, they have submitted a memorandum to the RTO Ponda on April 20, to stop illegal parking of trucks in the town area and act against those violating this norm.
