Massive fire in chemical factory in Ambernath near Mumbai
Mumbai, Nov 5 : A massive fire broke out Monday in a chemical factory in Ambernath in neighbouring Thane district, injuring four persons and forcing Central Railway to halt train services in the area as its tracks are about a 100 metres away from the site of incident.
A Fire Brigade official from Ambernath MIDC said that the blaze was reported at around 2pm from the Persia Chemical Factory situated in Morivali MIDC, over 60 kilometres from here.
Personnel, fire engines and tankers from fire brigade units of Ambernath, Badlapur, Kalyan and Ulhasnagar have been rushed to the site, he added.
Senior Inspector K G Chavan of Ambernath police station said that four workers were injured.
"There were 13 workers inside the factory at the time of fire and all started running when it broke out. The injured were rushed to a nearby hospital and are out of danger," Chavan said.
He said that the fire is under control and cooling operations were underway.
CR chief spokesperson Sunil Udasi informed that the Down line between Ambernath and Badlapur was shut between 3:53 pm and 4:20 pm as a precautionary measure due to the thick fumes emanating from the fire.
One suburban train and a long-distance one were caught up on the tracks for a while due to the fire, he said, adding that no service was cancelled as yet.
Senior inspector Chavan informed that a case was being registered, adding that MIDC officials and factory inspectors were on the spot.
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Drug addiction sign of mental illness, says DC Mullai Muhilan
Mangaluru: Drug addiction is a sign of mental illness and there is a critical need for awareness among students, stated Deputy Commissioner (DC) Mullai Muhilan at the ‘Drugs Free India’ awareness program. Organized by the Counseling Department of St. Aloysius PU College in collaboration with the District Administration, Mangaluru Police Commissionerate, Indian Coast Guard, and the Customs Commissionerate, the event took place on Tuesday.
Delivering the keynote address, DC Mullai Muhilan emphasized the importance of counseling centers in every school to educate students about the dangers of drug addiction. He highlighted the correlation between the increasing number of educational institutions in Dakshina Kannada District and the rising supply and demand for narcotic drugs. He stressed the need for continuous efforts to dismantle the supply chain of narcotics and initiatives to curb the demand through systematic education.
“Anti-drug units have been established in 528 colleges across the district. These units operate with utmost confidentiality, allowing students to report information about drug supply and abuse, thereby preventing their peers from falling into the trap of addiction,” Muhilan said.
Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal reported that over 500 cases related to drug supply and abuse had been registered in the past six months, with 400 cases pertaining specifically to drug abuse. He noted that many complaints came from mothers about the deteriorating behavior and habits of their children. Agrawal stressed the importance of self-awareness among students to avoid drug addiction and urged them to stay away from narcotics.
Mangaluru Customs Commissioner P Vinitha Shekhar described narcotics as a ‘social menace’ and explained the customs department’s role in search and destroy operations in accordance with the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act. She highlighted India's vulnerability to drug trafficking due to its proximity to opium-producing countries like Myanmar, Vietnam, Laos, Pakistan, Afghanistan, and Iran. She also pointed out the link between drug supply networks and the funding of terrorist organizations.
District Coast Guard Centre DIG P K Mishra, through an illustrative story, encouraged students to contribute to society by reporting unusual behavior in their friends and peers that might indicate drug abuse.
Fr. Clifford Sequeira, Principal of St. Aloysius PU College, and Dr. B K Kiran Kumar from the Department of Psychology at the Institute of Medical Sciences were also present at the event.
