Mumbai: Over two hours on, firefighting still underway at Lower Parel commercial building
Mumbai (PTI): The operation to douse the blaze at a commercial building in Mumbai has been going on for more than two hours after a fire erupted there on Friday morning, civic officials said.
There are no reports of any injury to anyone in the fire that broke out at the Times Tower building in the Kamala Mills compound of the Lower Parel area around 6.30 am, the officials said.
The authorities had initially said that the commercial building had seven floors. They later updated the information, calling it a 14-storey structure.
The level 2 (major) fire is confined to an electric duct between the 3rd and 7th floors on the rear side of the building with a glass facade, a civic official said.
Firefighters used “chisel and hammer” to break the locks on the doors and enter the commercial building to battle the fire, he said.
Eight fire engines and other firefighting vehicles were sent to the spot, an official had said earlier.
The Kamala Mills compound, which has witnessed many major fires, is located next to the Parkside residential building.
Parkside residents said it was a “terrifying experience” to see plumes of flame and smoke rising close to their homes.
According to the residents, their security staff tried to control the blaze with their building's firefighting equipment before firemen arrived at the scene.
“Our emergency team used our hose pipes before the fire brigade could reach the spot,” claimed one of the residents.
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Integrity of electoral process severely compromised, Cong to soon launch movement: CWC
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Working Committee met here on Friday and adopted a resolution alleging the integrity of the entire electoral process was being severely compromised against which the party would soon launch a movement.
In the resolution of the top body of the Congress, the party said free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that was being called into "serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission".
The CWC, which met amid the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament, said the session has been a washout so far because of the Narendra Modi government's "stubborn refusal" to have an immediate discussion on three pressing national issues -- "the recent revelations regarding corruption by a business group, and the violence in Manipur and Uttar Pradesh's Sambhal".
Asked why the Congress Working Committee (CWC) resolution does not name the business group, Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said, "The answer is the Adani group".
"The CWC believes the integrity of the entire electoral process is being severely compromised. Free and fair elections is a Constitutional mandate that is being called into serious question by the partisan functioning of the Election Commission.
"Increasing sections of society are becoming frustrated and deeply apprehensive. The Congress will take these up these public concerns as a national movement," the resolution stated.
Addressing a joint press conference along with Ramesh and Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera, party general secretary, organisation, K C Venugopal said the party discussed the political situation in the country for four-and-half hours and adopted the resolution.
He said the CWC has decided to constitute internal committees to look into electoral performance and organisational matters.
About the Assembly polls results in Maharashtra, Venugopal said the electoral outcome in the state was "beyond normal understanding and it appears to be a clear case of targeted manipulation".
