MP: Woman killed, 23 people injured as fuel tanker catches fire in Khargone
Khargone, Oct 26: A woman was killed and at least 23 other people were injured when a fuel tanker caught fire after overturning near a village in Madhya Pradesh's Khargone district on Wednesday morning, officials said.
Superintendent of Police Dharmveer Singh while quoting locals said people from Anjangaon village had gathered to look at the tanker after it overturned near the village. The vehicle then suddenly caught fire causing the casualties, he said.
One of the injured persons said a blast occurred in the tanker after it overturned.
The incident took place at around 5 am near Anjangaon village under Bistan police station limits, about 30 km from the district headquarters, police said.
Khargone Collector Kumar Purushottam told reporters that one person was killed and at least 23 others suffered burn injuries in the incident which occurred after the tanker of the Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) overturned.
The deceased was identified as Rangubai (19), he said.
Some of the seriously injured persons were referred to Indore for further treatment, he said.
The collector also said that BPCL officials have been asked to conduct an inquiry into the incident.
Jagdish, who was among those injured in the incident, said a blast took place suddenly in the tanker when the villagers reached the spot after the vehicle overturned.
The tanker driver and conductor fled from the spot, he said.
Anjangaon resident Ghurmul Sisodia said the fire broke out suddenly in the fuel tanker when the villagers went to the spot to look at it.
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Over 760 private schools shut down in 5 years amid 'rigid norms', 'harassment' in Bengaluru: Report
Bengaluru: In a concerning trend for the city's education sector, at least 762 private schools in Bengaluru have closed down over the past five years, a staggering 26 percent of those granted permission to operate, according to government data.
Between 2019-20 and 2023-24 academic years, the Department of School Education and Literacy gave the green signal to start 2,905 private unaided schools, of which 762 closed down.
The data, as cited by Deccan Herald on Sunday, shows significant discrepancies across districts. While Vijayapura saw the highest number of new schools at 292, only five closed. In stark contrast, Bengaluru South saw 255 new schools, with 85 shutting down within five years. In Bengaluru North, the number of schools permitted were 75, and 56 of them shut down within five years of commencement.
School managements are attributing the closures to rigid norms imposed by the department after 2018, alongside what they describe as harassment by local officers. D. Shashi Kumar, general secretary of the Associated Management of Primary and Secondary Schools in Karnataka, told DH that one of the key obstacles has been the mandatory requirement of half-an-acre land for new schools, which many find financially unfeasible. Additionally, he noted that schools now must navigate multiple departments, including fire safety and building plan approvals, compared to the previous single-point contact with the education department. He further mentioned that they have submitted petitions to the government numerous times about harassment.
Private school representatives said a majority of the schools which closed down were budget schools affiliated to the state board, the report added. The COVID-19 pandemic also contributed to these closures, disrupting the demand and supply chain, especially in cities like Bengaluru, which has a huge migrant population. The exit of migrant families led to a sharp drop in student enrolments, especially in budget private schools. The rising cost of establishing a new school—at least Rs 20 crore—and the challenge of maintaining a minimum student strength have further added to the burden on school managements.
Another factor cited by private school managements was the rise in the number of chain (franchisee) schools and the entry of corporates into the education sector. “Parents are attracted towards other board schools and so-called corporate and fancy chain schools,” management representative of a private school in the capital city was quoted as saying by the publication.
He added that the increase in the number of CBSE and ICSE schools has also contributed to the closure of state board schools, which, according to him, face discrimination at the local level compared to other boards.
