Major fire at Puri shopping complex, over 100 people rescued
Puri (PTI): A major fire broke out at a shopping complex in Odisha's Puri district, gutting almost all 40 shops, a police officer said.
The blaze was first spotted at a garment store on the first floor of Laxmi Market Complex on Grand Road around 9 pm on Wednesday, he said.
Twelve fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the flames.
Three people, who were stuck on the roof of the building, were rescued in an unconscious state by the firefighters, the officer said.
The building, which is located close to the centuries-old Jagannath temple, also houses a hotel and a bank on two separate floors. Around 106 tourists from Nashik in Maharashtra were safely rescued from the hotel.
SK Upadhyay, the director general of fire service, said three personnel engaged in the firefighting operations fell ill in the midst of the heat and the smoke, and had to be taken to the hospital.
He also stated that the flames spread to nearby buildings, "despite best attempts to bring the blaze under control".
Puri Sub-Collector Bhavataran Sahu said, "We are still unable to ascertain the cause of the fire."
According to the local police, an electrical short-circuit may have started the fire.
Meanwhile, Puri MLA Jayant Sarangi of the BJP claimed that the district administration has failed to ensure the installation of fire safety systems at the hotels and other establishments in the seaside town.
Odisha | A fire broke out at Laxmi Market Complex in Puri. Three people got injured and admitted to hospital. The cause of the fire is yet to be ascertained. Fire tenders are present at the spot. Efforts underway to douse the fire: Gokul Ranjan Das, IIC Town Police Station, Puri pic.twitter.com/RJ12Xxb3nH
— ANI (@ANI) March 8, 2023
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Railways created world record in derailments: Mamata Banerjee
Kolkata, Sep 24: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee on Tuesday mocked the Indian Railways, asserting that it has created a “world record” in derailments.
Banerjee’s comments came hours after a few wagons of an empty goods train jumped tracks in the state’s Jalpaiguri district.
"What is happening with the Railways? Even today, there is the news of derailment. The Railways has created a world record in derailments. But, nobody says anything?" she told reporters after an administrative review meeting in Birbhum.
"People's safety and security is in danger, and they are scared of travelling in trains. Where is the railway minister? Only asking for votes during elections will not help, you have to be by the side of people when they are in danger," Banerjee said.
Five wagons of an empty goods train derailed at New Maynaguri railway station in Jalpaiguri district on Tuesday morning.
No injuries were reported in the incident that occurred around 6.20 am, officials said.
Banerjee, who had served as railway minister twice, claimed that she had run the department smoothly and allocated several projects for West Bengal.
"As the railway minister, I had sanctioned projects worth Rs 2 lakh crore for Bengal," the CM said.
The Railways, in a recent report, had mentioned there were 18 attempts to derail trains across the country since August.
