Mumbai (PTI): A fire broke out in a 12-storey residential building in Kurla area of Mumbai shortly after midnight on Saturday, following which the fire brigade rescued around 60 people living there, an official said.

The incident occurred around 12.10 am in the Slum Rehabilitation Authority (SRA) building number 7 located opposite Kohinoor Hospital, he said, adding that 39 of the rescued persons were admitted to hospitals after they complained of suffocation.

"The blaze erupted soon after midnight. On being alerted about it, a team of fire brigade personnel along with four water engines, as many jumbo tankers and other equipment reached the spot and started the firefighting operation," a fire brigade official said.

The fire started from the ground floor of the 12-storey building and was confined to the electric wiring and scrap material kept there. It was a 'level one' (minor) fire. As the flames moved upwards and the building was engulfed in smoke, it triggered panic among the residents, the official said.

The fire brigade personnel cut off the electricity supply and extinguished the fire by around 1.45 am, he said.

"Fifty to sixty residents stranded on different floors of the building were rescued by the fire brigade staff using the staircase. Due to the smoke, 39 of the rescued persons complained of suffocation, of whom 35 were admitted to the civic-run Rajawadi Hospital, while four others were taken to Kohinoor Hospital," he said.

Their condition is stable, he added.

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Bhatkal: The Karnataka unit of the All India Ideal Teachers Association (AIITA) has welcomed the Karnataka government’s decision to strictly ban school children from dancing to obscene songs during educational and cultural programmes in government, aided, and private schools across the state.

AIITA Karnataka State President M. R. Manvi congratulated the government for taking what he termed an important step to preserve the sanctity of education.

“Such decisions to safeguard the dignity of school children and uphold the values of education are the need of the hour. This rule should not be limited to government schools alone but must be strictly implemented in all private educational institutions as well,” he said.

He further urged the government to address other concerns within school programmes.

“The government should not only prohibit obscene dances in the name of school anniversaries, but also ensure that plays and dialogues that incite religious hatred are avoided. Schools should be centres of harmony, not platforms for spreading hatred,” he added.

According to a recent circular issued by the Department of School Education and Literacy, obscene dances are adversely affecting the mental health and moral values of students.

In this regard, schools have been advised to use songs that promote nationalism, positive thinking, the greatness of Kannada culture, and value-based traditions instead of inappropriate content during programmes.
The circular also emphasises that students should be dressed in decent attire.

AIITA also backed the department’s warning that disciplinary action would be taken against head teachers if such guidelines are violated. The association has further demanded that district Deputy Directors of Public Instruction strictly monitor the implementation of these rules.