Fire at two hotels in Mumbai, no casualties
Mumbai, Dec 20 : Fire incidents were reported in two city-based hotels, including the luxury hotel Trident, late Wednesday night, officials said.
No casualties have been reported in the incidents, they said.
A fire broke out at a high-end shopping centre on the ground floor of the Trident Hotel in south Mumbai at 11.04 pm, a fire brigade official said Thursday.
The blaze was confined to a shop in the shopping centre, spread in an area of 2,000 sq ft, and it was doused by 1 am, he said.
In another incident, a blaze erupted at the Afzal Hotel located near Mazgaon Circle in south Mumbai, another official said.
The fire brigade got a call about the blaze around 11.37 pm. Fire tenders were rushed to the spot and the flames were extinguished by 1.15 am, he said.
Some electric wiring, chimney and items in the hotel's kitchen were damaged in the fire, he said, adding that the cause of the blaze will be ascertained after an inquiry.
The two incidents come days after a fire at the government-run ESIC Kamgar Hospital at Marol in suburban Andheri on Monday in which nine people were killed and nearly 175 others injured.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had on Tuesday ordered a probe in the hospital fire and the Union Labour Ministry announced compensation for its victims.
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Gehlot changes profile pic to 'Save Aravalli', asks Centre to reconsider definition
Jaipur (PTI): Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday urged the Centre to reconsider its definition of the Aravallis, warning that any damage to the mountain range posed a serious threat to the ecological future of north India.
Gehlot, a former Rajasthan chief minister, changed his social media profile picture in support of the nationwide 'SaveAravalli' campaign amid growing debate over mining and environmental safeguards in the Aravalli Range.
It was his symbolic protest against the new interpretation under which hills lower than 100 metres are no longer being recognised as part of the Aravalli system, he said.
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"The Aravalli cannot be judged by tape measures or height alone. It must be assessed by its ecological importance," Gehlot said, adding that the revised definition raised "a big question" over the future of north India.
Appealing to the Centre and the Supreme Court, Gehlot said the issue must be reconsidered in the interest of future generations and environmental security. He also urged citizens to participate in the campaign by changing their display pictures online to draw attention to the issue.
He said the Aravalli range functioned as a natural green wall against the expansion of the Thar desert and extreme heatwaves, protecting Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Opening up smaller hills and so-called gap areas for mining would allow desertification to advance rapidly, he warned.
Gehlot also flagged concerns over air pollution, saying the hills and forests of the Aravallis acted as the "lungs" of the National Capital Region by checking dust storms and absorbing pollutants.
"When pollution levels are so alarming even with the Aravalli standing, one can imagine how disastrous the situation will be without it," he said.
Highlighting the water crisis, the former chief minister said the rocky terrain of the Aravallis played a crucial role in groundwater recharge by channelising rainwater underground.
"If the hills are destroyed, drinking water shortages will intensify, wildlife will disappear and the entire ecology will be pushed into danger," he said.
Gehlot argued that, from a scientific perspective, the Aravallis was a continuous chain and that even smaller hillocks were as vital as higher peaks.
