Flames engulf Kolkata tannery; 2 fire officials injured
Kolkata, Mar 12: A major fire broke out at a tannery cum godown in the congested Tangra area of Kolkata on Saturday evening, a senior official of the fire department said.
Altogether 15 fire tenders were pressed into service to douse the flames that spread to an adjacent building which has been evacuated.
Two fire officials were injured while fighting the blaze and they were hospitalised, the official said.
Several other nearby houses were also evacuated.
The fire broke out at around 6.30 PM at a building, used as a tannery, on 3 Maher Ali Lane in the area. It is not yet known whether any person is stuck inside.
"The cause of the fire is not yet known. Our personnel are working on a war footing to douse it. There were chemicals, rexin, and clothes stored inside the building, which helped the fire spread quickly," the official said.
The boundary wall of the tannery has collapsed.
Fire and Emergency Services Minister Sujit Bose reached the place and supervised the rescue operations.
"Our officers are trying to douse the fire. This is a congested area. It's quite tough for the fire tenders to enter the narrow lanes. However, they are trying their best," Bose told reporters.
Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee called up Bose and enquired about the situation.
Local people who had initially alleged that fire brigade personnel were late in reaching the area later helped them in the rescue operation.
Leader of the Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly, Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP, tweeted a video of locals helping refill a fire tender with water and criticised the role of the department in carrying out the rescue operation.
"Egiye Bangla in disastrous Disaster Management. Shame shame @MamataOfficial. The Fire & Emergency Services Department's efficiency has gone down during your tenure," Adhikari tweeted.
"Egiye Bangla" (Bengal surges ahead) is the official website of the state government.
Local Trinamool Congress MP Sudip Bandyopadhyay also visited the spot.
#WATCH | Locals take water buckets from their houses & fill water in a fire tender after it ran out of water pic.twitter.com/lyMWjRrHb1
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2022
West Bengal | A massive fire breaks out at a godown in the Tangra area of Kolkata. Eight fire tenders rushed to the spot. pic.twitter.com/d1qdCRgmcX
— ANI (@ANI) March 12, 2022
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India bans sugar exports till Sept 30
New Delhi (PTI): India has banned the export of sugar till September 30 this year, according to a government notification.
The notification issued by the Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT) on May 13 said this order does not apply to sugar being exported to the European Union and the US under the tariff rate quota scheme.
The order is also not applicable to the shipments under the advance authorisation scheme, government-to-government exports and consignments already in the physical export pipeline.
"The export policy of Sugar (Raw Sugar, White Sugar and Refined Sugar)... is amended from 'Restricted' to 'Prohibited' with immediate effect till September 30, 2026, or until further orders, whichever is earlier," the DGFT said.
