8 dead in fire at 2 warehouses in Bengal’s South 24 Parganas; flames still rage, rescue ops underway
Kolkata (PTI): A massive fire at two adjoining warehouses in West Bengal’s South 24 Parganas district, which killed at least eight people, is yet to be fully doused over 24 hours later, officials said on Tuesday.
Several workers are feared trapped in the twin units located in Najirabad area on the outskirts of Kolkata, as fire tenders stationed at the site try to put out the blaze that erupted around 3 am on Monday, they said.
Twelve fire tenders were pressed into service, and the blaze was brought largely under control after nearly seven hours, though pockets of fire continued to smoulder in several parts of the gutted structures, an official said.
“Several charred bodies and skeletal remains have been recovered since Monday night, though the fire is still raging in pockets, raising fears that the toll may rise further,” he said.
All those dead or missing are from Purba Medinipur, Paschim Medinipur and South 24 Parganas districts, the official said.
Fire department sources said DNA samples will be collected from family members to identify the bodies and skeletal remains recovered from the site.
The cause of the blaze and the extent of damage are yet to be ascertained.
During a rescue operation around 5 pm on Monday, three severely charred bodies were recovered from the adjoining godowns, while five more bodies were found later, taking the death toll to eight.
Baruipur SP Shubhendu Kumar had earlier said the identities of the deceased could not be ascertained, as the bodies were charred beyond recognition.
Initially, six people were reported missing, but families of those feared trapped said the number could be more than 10, he said.
West Bengal Fire Services Minister Sujit Bose had on Monday evening said that rescue operations were continuing and teams working to douse lingering pockets of fire across different floors of the gutted structures.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Unruly scenes witnessed in Punjab Assembly
Chandigarh (PTI): The Punjab Assembly on Friday witnessed high drama on Friday after Congress MLA Sukhpal Singh Khaira made an allegedly objectionable remark against Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann during an intense argument over the alleged use of mobile phone in the house by the legislator.
During the one-day special session of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha here, Mann accused Khaira of using a mobile phone when Speaker Kultar Singh Sandhwan was reading out an official resolution on the revision of wages.
After rising from his seat, the chief minister pointed to the speaker, claiming that Khaira is busy on his mobile phone and urged him to ask the Congress MLA what Sandhwan had said about the resolution.
The speaker then asked Khaira to maintain order in the house and listen to the resolution carefully.
Mann then asked Khaira, "Why don't you go out and then use it (mobile phone)," which led to a strong verbal altercation during which the opposition MLA hurled an accusation against the chief minister. Meanwhile, the speaker appealed for order and insisted that the chair be addressed.
However, both Mann and Khaira continued arguing and could be seen pointing fingers at each other as the proceedings of the house were disrupted.
The AAP MLAs also rose from their seats with Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema condemning Khaira for his conduct and demanded action against him.
Cheema further alleged that Khaira "always tries to disturb the house" as he spoke about his conduct in the assembly.
The incident occurred as an official resolution on the revision of wages was presented at the special session by Labour Minister Tarunpreet Singh Sond who said it paid homage to labourers on the International Workers' Day.
"Workers are the axis of construction of the nation, the community, the state and society. Every construction project succeeds only through their blood and sweat," the resolution read.
As per the resolution, "The base rate of minimum wages for the working class in Punjab was last revised in the year 2012. Although the dearness allowance has continued to increase since 2012, there has been no increase in the base rate of minimum wages.
On this sacred occasion of May Day, in this special session of the legislative assembly, this house proposes to revise and increase the minimum wages of labourers and strongly recommends to the government to take a decision regarding the increase of minimum wages for workers, so that the contributions of the workers can be acknowledged." PRK
