13 suffer from suffocation after fire in Mumbai building; around 90 rescued
Mumbai (PTI): Thirteen persons suffered from suffocation after a fire broke on the ground floor of a seven-storey building in Mumbai's Ghatkopar area in the wee hours of Saturday, an official said.
The blaze erupted at 1.35 am in Shanti Sagar Building located in Ramabai Colony of Pantnagar in Ghatkopar east and around 90 residents were rescued from there, the fire brigade official said.
"The fire broke out in the electric meter room on the ground floor. It remained confined to the wiring and other installations there. Due to the fire, smoke engulfed the entire building," he said.
"Eighty to ninety persons stranded on different floors were rescued and brought down using the staircase before the fire was extinguished at 2.05 am. Thirteen persons suffered from suffocation due to the smoke, of whom 12 were admitted to a local hospital, while one was discharged after treatment at the OPD section there," he added.
Of the injured persons, nine are females, the official said, adding that the cause behind the blaze is being ascertained.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
