Huge fire at Prayagraj tent supplier warehouse, brought under control after six hours
Prayagraj (PTI): A huge fire broke out in the warehouse of a company, which supplied tenting materials for the recently-concluded Maha Kumbh, at the Parade Ground early on Saturday, officials said and added the blaze was brought under control after six hours.
While there was no loss of life, two officers and five employees of the fire department suffered minor burn injuries while dousing the flames at the Lallu Ji and Tent Company warehouse in the Daraganj area, they said.
Rajiv Kumar Pandey, Prayagraj's chief fire officer, said the blaze was completely controlled.
He said 18 water tenders, including four from the army, were pressed into service to extinguish the blaze that erupted early on Saturday. These also included 10 water tenders called in from Handia, Meja and Soraon.
He added that he himself, another officer and five employees suffered minor burn injuries while extinguishing the fire.
Pandey said the efforts of the firefighting personnel led to tent material and bamboo sticks worth crores of rupees in many nearby warehouses being saved.
Four municipal corporation vehicles were deployed for sprinkling water to protect the nearby godowns. At the same time, 20 employees were evacuated from the burning warehouse.
Pandey said the surrounding settlements, including a slum, were also saved from the fire.
The fire caused four LPG cylinders to explode while two scooters parked on the warehouse premises were burnt to ashes.
District Magistrate Ravindra Kumar Mandar, Deputy Commissioner of Police (City) Abhishek Bharti and other senior officers present on the spot coordinated the firefighting efforts.
Several companies supplying tenting materials built their warehouses at Kali Marg of Parade Ground for the Maha Kumbh. After the congregation ended, tenting materials were removed from the fair area and stored in these warehouses.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
