Fire in Goa paint factory: 200 people living in vicinity leave homes as thick smoke engulfs area
Panaji (PTI): In the wake of thick smoke engulfing the Pilerne Industrial Estate area near Panaji after a fire in a paint manufacturing plant, nearly 200 people living in the vicinity have moved elsewhere, an official said on Wednesday.
The blaze erupted in the Berger Becker Coatings factory located in the industrial estate at around 2.30 pm on Tuesday, North Goa district collector Mamu Hage said.
The district administration subsequently issued an advisory, asking people living within two kilometres radius of the factory to shift elsewhere as the smoke could cause health issues.
Chief Minister Pramod Sawant along with senior officials visited the factory site on Tuesday night.
The fire was brought under control in the wee hours of Wednesday, a senior district administration official said.
Around 200 people living near the factory site moved elsewhere on their own, the official said.
"The government did not have to intervene as the people on their own went to the places of their relatives and friends," the official said.
Collector Mamu Hage in the health advisory asked people living near the fire site to ensure circulation of fresh air in all buildings (both residential and commercial) by keeping doors and windows open and switching on ceiling fans, exhaust fans etc, especially in bedrooms.
The residents were advised to avoid using air-conditioners and keep away from closed areas which do not have any kind of air circulation. The people were also asked to avoid using face mask.
The advisory also said in case of any symptoms of breathing difficulty, people should contact the nearest health centre or the casualty department of the Goa Medical College, or 108 service (for any emergency).
"High risk people with asthma or chronic respiratory illnesses and infants are advised to be shifted to safer areas till the situation comes under control," the advisory said.
The district administration also advised the public not to visit the incident site for any purpose.
CM Sawant on Tuesday said the government has ordered an inquiry into the incident.
Massive fire breaks out at Pilerne industrial estate in #Goa. Fire fighters at the spot to douse the blaze. pic.twitter.com/h2W0RAKrcn
— TOI Goa (@TOIGoaNews) January 10, 2023
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Police inspector suspended over 'involvement' in honour killing in Andhra's' Palnadu dt
Macherla (Andhra Pradesh) (PTI): A police inspector was suspended on Sunday over his alleged involvement in an alleged honour killing of a woman in a village under Macherla in Palnadu district, a senior police official said.
According to police, the woman, identified as Chowdeshwaramma, was in a relationship with Nagaraj, both belonging to the same community, and had eloped earlier.
"A police inspector was suspended following allegations of involvement in an honour killing case, including suspected monetary transactions with the victim's family," the official told PTI.
Police said the couple had approached the police station after eloping, where the woman's parents assured that they would conduct her marriage with Nagaraj, following which she returned home.
However, after a few days, when the family allegedly did not show interest in conducting the marriage, the woman expressed her intention to go back with the man again, he said.
Subsequently, she was found dead, with the family initially claiming that she died by hanging and filing a complaint accordingly.
The postmortem report later revealed that the woman was murdered by strangulation, contradicting the family's claim, police said.
Allegations later surfaced that the inspector had taken money from the woman's father and was involved in handing her back to the family earlier.
Based on these allegations and failure to take proper action in the case, the inspector was placed under suspension, said the official.
The woman's death is reported to have occurred on March 18, police said.
Meanwhile, police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), and relevant sections may be altered during the course of investigation, he added.
