Fire in Kolkata's under-construction tallest building
Kolkata, Nov 17: A fire broke out in the under-construction tallest tower of Kolkata on Saturday evening, but there was no report of any casualty, police said.
The fire broke out at around 4.55 pm in the eighth and ninth floor of 'The 42', a 62-floor residential skyscraper in the city's central business area of Chowringhee, a senior officer of the Kolkata Police said.
Three fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the fire, which is now under control, Mayor Sovan Chatterjee, who paid a visit to the site, told reporters.
The building is named after its address: 42, Jawaharlal Nehru Road.
"The fire seems to have spread through the nylon nets used to guard the air-conditioning machines. Our officials have responded quickly and the fire is under control now," Chatterjee added.
The city was witness to two major fire incidents in recent times.
A fire broke out at the 150-year old Bagree Market in Burrabazar, one of the largest wholesale hubs of the country, in September and gutted a large number of shops. It could be put out on the fourth day.
Early in October, a fire broke out at the Calcutta Medical College hospital, founded in 1835 and regarded as among the oldest in the country. There were no casualties.
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Maharashtra sets up state vaccination task force to strengthen immunisation programme
Mumbai (PTI): The Maharashtra government has set up a State Vaccination Task Force to strengthen the regular immunisation programme and review the progress of related campaigns, a health department official said on Monday.
The State Vaccination Task Force will comprise at least 29 members and will be headed by the administrative head of the health department, he informed.
The government has also constituted separate district-level and municipal vaccination task forces to improve implementation and address challenges at the grassroots level, he said.
Municipal task forces, chaired by respective civic commissioners, have been constituted in view of the vast urban population in Maharashtra and the role of civic bodies in implementing different health programmes.
The district-level task forces will function under the chairmanship of collectors.
"Complete immunisation of children at the appropriate age is an extremely simple, cost-effective and highly effective measure to reduce child mortality and the prevalence of diseases among kids. Immunisation is a powerful tool for reducing illness in children," maintained the official.
To ensure full vaccination of all children, the state government implements various campaigns from time to time as per the central government guidelines, he pointed out.
"Active participation and cooperation of other relevant government departments are essential (in making these campaigns successful)," according to the official.
The state-level body will review the regular immunisation programme, associated campaigns and vaccine-preventable diseases in detail. It will also conduct focused assessments of high-risk districts and municipal corporations, including vacancies at district, municipal and sub-district levels, availability of cold chain equipment, resource gaps and training requirements, he noted.
The state task force will review allocation and utilisation of funds for immunisation and ensure timely action by officers concerned based on reports from district and municipal task forces and state-level monitoring mechanisms, the official said.
It will also ensure active coordination and participation of other government departments in immunisation drives, while district and municipal task forces will carry out similar functions at their respective levels, the official added.
