Guwahati inferno remains uncontrolled for over 38 hrs; multiple agencies called in
Guwahati (PTI): Water tenders from the Indian Air Force, Indian Army and Guwahati Refinery joined efforts to contain a massive fire that has been raging for over 38 hours at a commercial complex in Guwahati housing a shopping mall and SBI's premium banking and commercial branches, officials said on Thursday.
More than 25 fire tenders have been pressed into service since the incident, with additional units arriving from Morigaon, Kamrup and Nalbari districts.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) was also called in with high-tech smoke-reduction equipment to assist in the operation.
The fire broke out at Swagata Square Complex in ABC Point around 12.30 am on Wednesday.
"There is fire on the sixth floor. We are trying to douse it," a senior official of the Fire & Emergency Services (F&ES) told PTI.
Smoke is also billowing from the second floor, where the fire originated at the godown of the shopping mall, he added.
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"There is fire at the backside of the building. However, due to non-adherence to safety norms while construction, fire tenders are unable to reach the rear," another official said.
He said the authorities concerned did not enforce required safety norms while permitting a commercial structure of this size.
Visiting the site, Kamrup Metropolitan District Commissioner Sumit Sattawan said preliminary enquiries found that the building had all safety clearances.
"The building owner said the audit was done two months ago. So, prima facie, it seems the building does not have any issue," he told reporters.
The authorities will wait for a final report from the F&ES Department after dousing the blaze, Sattawan said.
"If there is any lapse, we will definitely take action against those responsible. We will come to know about the details of the origin of the fire from the report," he added.
So far, only one firefighter has sustained a minor injury and was treated at Gauhati Medical College and Hospital.
"Our boys immediately responded to the fire call post-midnight on Wednesday and reached the spot within 15 minutes. We could stop the fire from spreading," the F&ES official said.
"The fire originated at the godown of the mall on the second floor, where a lot of inflammable materials and clothes were stored," he added.
The Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), in a statement, said fire personnel are attempting to control the spread of fire and prevent it from reaching the lower floors.
"Due to zero visibility and heavy smoke, the fire could not be controlled effectively in the initial stage. The building premises and surrounding areas have been secured. Evacuation protocols were initiated for safety," it added.
ASDMA said that preliminary observation suggests significant damage to the affected floors, but a detailed assessment will be done once the fire is fully controlled.
The cause of the fire is still unknown at this stage, it added.
An ASDMA official told PTI that fire has been controlled, but it is not yet fully doused due to many inflammable materials in the building.
"There are no flames now but smoke is billowing. We are working on dousing the blaze completely," he said.
"We have been told that the fire has just been controlled, but fire department officials are still assessing the building. They are likely to observe it for few more hours. We will be able to check the lockers and other items in detail only after getting an entry into the different floors," a senior SBI official told reporters outside the building.
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86 nations, two int'l organisations sign AI Impact Summit declaration: IT Min Vaishnaw
New Delhi (PTI): As many as 86 countries and two international organisations have signed the AI Impact Summit declaration, IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said, adding that the US, UK, Canada, China, Denmark, and Germany are among the signatories.
The strong global backing for the declaration comes at the conclusion of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi.
Vaishnaw told reporters that nations across the world have formalised and upheld principles of 'welfare of all, and happiness of all'.
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi's human-centric AI vision been accepted by the world. Democratising Artificial Intelligence resources so AI facilities, services and technology can reach everyone in society has been accepted by all," the minister said.
Balancing economic growth with social good has been prioritised, he added.
"Not just economic growth, even social harmony has to be kept in mind. Safety and trust are at the centre, they have been brought among the main points," Vaishnaw said, adding that a secure, trustworthy and robust AI framework has been focused on.
Other major areas of thrust include innovations and development of human capital, he noted.
"For all these areas, all countries have agreed to work together. Almost all countries that participated, including the US, the UK, Canada, China, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, and Germany... everyone has participated," the minister said.
The mega AI Impact Summit secured investment commitments of over USD 250 billion in infrastructure alone, with Vaishnaw on Friday terming it a "grand success".
Vaishnaw had said participation at the summit crossed five lakh visitors, reflecting strong domestic and global engagement with India's AI push.
The India AI Impact Summit brought together global policymakers, industry leaders and technology experts, positioning India as a key player in shaping international AI governance and infrastructure development.
"More than five lakh visitors participated in the exhibition, learnt a lot, and interacted with many experts from around the world. We had practically every major AI player in the world participating in large numbers. We had so many startups getting the opportunity to showcase their work. Overall, the quality of the discussion was phenomenal," he had said.
Be it the ministerial dialogue, the leaders' plenary, the main inauguration function, or the Summit overall, the quality of participation and dialogue was phenomenal, Vaishnaw had pointed out.
The investment pledges have crossed USD 250 billion for infra-related capital and around USD 20 billion on VC/deep tech investments.
Vaishnaw had said that the Summit reflected the world's confidence in India's role in the new AI age.
Delhi played host to a lineup of global tech heavyweights this week - Google's Sundar Pichai, OpenAI's Sam Altman, Microsoft's Brad Smith and Anthropic's Dario Amodei - as discussions spanned most intensely debated global topics in the tech universe, from AI's opportunities and risks, all the way to AGI, governance and the future of jobs.
