Bengaluru, Apr 5: More than 20 people were rescued after a fire broke out at the basement of a four-storey commercial building at RT Nagar here on Friday afternoon, officials said.

There was no injury or loss of life reported, they said.

A call about a fire was received at 1.50 pm, following which four fire tenders were rushed to the spot, officials said, adding that the fire was doused by 4 pm.

According to the fire department, the fire originated in the generator in the basement.

A call centre operates on the ground and first floors of the building, while the third and fourth floors are occupied by an Ayurvedic hospital.

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Stocks of Ayurvedic medicines stored at the basement and nearly 25 vehicles parked there also caught fire and were completely gutted. The impact of the fire was such that smoke engulfed the upper flowers of the building, following which those working on the third and fourth floors rushed to the terrace.

“Our team managed to rescue more than 20 people who panicked and rushed to the terrace soon after the fire broke out. While one of our teams was extinguishing the fire, the other team was engaged in rescuing people from the terrace using a ladder,” a senior fire officer said.

A preliminary inquiry suggested that a short circuit in the generator caused the fire. However, the exact cause of the blaze is yet to be ascertained.

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New Delhi (PTI): Approximately 13 lakh litres of packaged drinking water -- 'Rail Neer' -- are being supplied to train passengers across the railway network daily, the government informed the Lok Sabha in a written reply on Wednesday.

Apprising the Lower House about the Indian Railways' endeavour to provide safe and potable drinking water facilities at all stations, the government also provided zone-wise details of the water vending machines (WVMs) installed there.

"To ensure the quality of drinking water being made available at the railway stations, instructions exist for periodical checking and required corrective action to be taken.

"Regular inspection and maintenance of drinking water facilities is carried out and complaints are attended to promptly," Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said while responding to a question raised by BJP MP Anup Sanjay Dhotre seeking to know the supply of drinking water at railway stations across the country

"Complaints regarding deficiency in services, including water supply, are received through various channels such as public complaints, web portals, social media, etc. These complaints are received at various levels, including the Railway Board, zonal railways, division office, etc.," Vaishnaw said.

"The complaints so received are forwarded to the concerned wings of Railways and necessary action is taken to check and address them. As receipt of such complaints and action taken thereon is a continuous and dynamic process, a centralised compendium of these is not maintained," he added.

Providing zone-wise details of water vending machines, the minister said 954 such machines have been installed across railway stations.

"The Indian Railways also provides safe and affordable packaged drinking water bottles -- Rail Neer -- approved by the Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS) in trains and at stations," Vaishnaw said.

"Approximately, 13 lakh litres of Rail Neer are being supplied per day to the travelling passengers in trains and at stations across the Indian Railways network," he added.