Fire at coaching institute in Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar, students climb down building using ropes
CM Kejriwal calls fire at coaching institute 'unfortunate'; says no need to panic
New Delhi, Jun 15: Students of a coaching institute in northwest Delhi's Mukherjee Nagar area on Thursday smashed windows, climbed down ropes and took help of ladders in desperate attempts to escape a fire that broke out on the top floor of the building housing it.
A call about the fire was received at 12.27 pm and 11 fire tenders were pressed into service, said Delhi Fire Service Director Atul Garg.
Garg told PTI video that 10-12 students suffered minor injuries while climbing down ropes in panic. "There is no major causality. All students have been rescued. All are safe," he said.
Preliminary inquiry suggested that the fire started from the meter board installed at the fourth floor of the building. The building comprises ground plus four floors, officials said.
In a video shared by the fire department, the firemen can be seen rescuing people, mostly students, through the windows.
The panic-stricken students are seen climbing down from the top floor of the building with the help of ropes. Smoke can also be seen coming out of that floor.
Ropes on the other side of the building were also used by the students to come out of the premises. The video shows trapped students coming out of the top floor of the building one by one. Some of them are also seen throwing their bags and helping one another during the rescue operation.
A large crowd gathered on the ground floor with many of them recording videos of the incident on their mobile phones.
"The firefighting operation has been finished. So far no major injuries have been reported," Garg added.
Describing the fire incident as "very unfortunate", Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted, "Some students have suffered minor injuries while trying to escape, rest are safe. There is nothing to panic. The fire has been brought under control by the fire department. The district administration is also present at the spot".
Delhi Police spokesperson Suman Nalwa said the fire started from the electric meters of the building and the smoke spread to the other floors.
"A coaching centre was running on the upper floor of the building. Smoke coming out of the building created panic. Students tried to come out of the building from windows and some of them suffered injuries. They were taken to hospital and the fire has been brought under control," she added.
Mukherjee Nagar is a coaching hub for government job aspirants.
Massive fire breaks out in Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar inside a Coaching Centre. Brave students escape through windows climbing down using wires. This calls for audit of all such buildings. Was there proper fire safety equipment and escape routes? Sad visuals but a lesson for Govt. pic.twitter.com/hwZMeYfeEu
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) June 15, 2023
आग की ये घटना बेहद दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण है। कुछ छात्र बचने के प्रयास में मामूली रूप से घायल हुए हैं, बाक़ी सभी छात्र सुरक्षित हैं। घबराने की बात नहीं है, दमकल विभाग द्वारा आग पर क़ाबू पा लिया गया है। ज़िला प्रशासन भी मौक़े पर मौजूद है। https://t.co/h32QYbxuKB
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) June 15, 2023
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.
T'gana RTC strike: Talks between govt, employees successful
Hyderabad (PTI): Talks between employees of Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (RTC) who were on strike and the state government concluded successfully on Friday as the government agreed to the key demands of the workmen.
Following a day-long marathon of talks between the leaders of the employees' Joint Action Committee (JAC) and the cabinet sub-committee, the government announced after midnight that it acceded to the demands, including a merger of RTC with the government, 11 per cent pay revision and elections to the employees' unions.
A committee comprising officials and employee leaders would be appointed over the merger of RTC with the government, it said.
The RTC management has also agreed to address the remaining issues as well, an official release said.
The employees would call off their strike and the RTC buses would hit the roads shortly, it said.
The employees had been on an indefinite strike since April 22 over a series of demands, including the merger of RTC with the government.
Earlier in the day, a driver of the RTC, who attempted suicide on April 23 during the strike, died at a hospital here in the early hours of Friday.
Shankar Goud, a 55-year-old driver, set himself ablaze by pouring petrol at Narsampet in Warangal district when the employees were staging a protest on Thursday in support of their demands.
Goud suffered serious burns, was initially admitted to a state-run hospital in Warangal, and later shifted to a super-speciality hospital in Hyderabad for advanced treatment.
"He succumbed (to injuries) at about 1.30 am on Friday," a senior official said.
The driver’s body was taken to his relative’s village, Muttojipet in Warangal district, for funeral rites.
Tension prevailed in Muttojipet as his family members and RTC employees attempted to take the body to the Narsampet bus station, where he worked, to enable his colleagues to pay their last respects. However, police did not permit this, citing law-and-order concerns.
This led to a deadlock before the funeral could proceed.
Union Minister Bandi Sanjay Kumar criticised the Telangana government for not allowing the body to be taken to the Narsampet bus station.
Kumar, Minister of State (Home), visited Muttojipet village in Warangal district, where the funeral was held, and paid homage to Goud.
“They (family members) want to take the body to the bus depot for five minutes. Is the RTC bus depot in Pakistan or Bangladesh? They are emotionally attached to taking the body there. The government is hurting sentiments and creating fear among RTC employees,” Kumar told reporters.
He also expressed anger at the police for not allowing the body to be taken to the bus station and staged a protest, according to a release from his office.
RTC employees and BJP workers attempted to take the mortal remains in an ambulance to Narsampet, but were stopped by the police.
Later, after discussions with the police, the family members and RTC employees agreed to conduct the funeral in the village.
Sanjay Kumar, stating he would abide by the family’s decision, left the village after the funeral was conducted there.
Transport Minister Ponnam Prabhakar said an ex gratia of Rs 10 lakh, a house, and a government job would be provided to the kin of Goud.
Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy expressed shock over the employee’s death and conveyed deep condolences to the grieving family, according to the release.
The RTC employees’ JAC had earlier announced an agitation programme from April 24 to 29, including silent marches and submission of memorandums to MLAs and other leaders.
