16 students of residential school in J'khand suffer breathing distress due to smoke in hostel room
Jamtara (PTI): Sixteen students of a residential school in Jharkhand's Jamtara district suffered breathing distress after smoke due to an electrical short-circuit filled their hostel room, an official said on Saturday.
The incident occurred at Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, a residential school for tribal girls, in Narayanpur block, on Friday evening, he said.
The 16 students who faced breathing problems were taken to a community health centre and were released soon after primary treatment, Jamtara Deputy Commissioner Ravi Anand told PTI.
"They faced a problem in their hostel room due to the smoke emitted from an electrical short circuit after a transformer near the school caught fire due to lightning on Friday evening. The fire was, however, doused by locals. The students were taken by the school warden and locals to the nearest community health centre and were later released," the deputy commissioner said.
The students panicked due to smoke and fire, and their cries had drawn local people and school officials, who evacuated them from the rooftop using a ladder, another official said.
The deputy commissioner also ordered a probe into the incident.
"A team under additional collector Jamtara (Punam Kachyap) will probe into the fire and suggest steps to prevent such incidents in future. We will also conduct an audit of electrical wiring in all residential government schools in the district," the deputy commissioner said.
Jamtara district education officer Charles Hembrom said that there were a total of 450 girl students in the hostel.
"Out of them, 16 panicked and started coughing heavily due to the smoke and were taken to the hospital and later discharged in the night," he added.
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High-level inquiry committee set up to probe fire in Rajdhani Express: Railway Board
New Delhi (PTI): The West Central Railway Zone has constituted a high administrative grade-level inquiry committee to investigate the fire on the Thiruvananthapuram Central-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express on Sunday.
The fire erupted at 5.15 am in the B-1 passenger coach of the train between Vikramgarh Alot and Lunirichha stations under the Kota Railway division, one-and-a-half hours after it left the Ratlam Junction in Madhya Pradesh, according to an official. The fire also damaged the luggage brake and generator car behind the coach.
"The committee has been nominated by the general manager of West Central Railway (WCR). It comprises senior officers from the West Central Railway, Integral Coach Factory in Chennai, and RDSO (Research Designs and Standards Organisation)," the Railway Board said in a press note.
"Principal chief safety officer, WCR, has been appointed as the convener of the committee," it said, also mentioning other committee members such as principal chief electrical engineer, principal chief mechanical engineer, principal chief security officer from the WCR zone, and principal chief mechanical engineer from the Integrated Coach Factory, among others.
As per the provisions of the Accident Manual, the committee has been directed to complete the inquiry within the stipulated timeframe.
The Board stated that the committee will conduct a detailed examination of the causes of the incident, technical aspects and safety parameters so as to prevent recurrence of such incidents in future.
"Indian Railways remains committed to ensuring the safety and security of passengers and is taking all necessary measures in this regard," it added.
