IAF to help state govt put out fire in Bandipur Tiger Reserve
Bengaluru, Feb 25: The Indian Air Force is set to join the operations to contain the forest fire raging in Bandipur Tiger Reserve area in Karnataka for the past five days, Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy said Monday.
The state government has sought the help of the Indian Air Force (IAF), which responded positively, he said.
In a tweet, the chief minister said, "Decided to use Air Force's help to contain the fire. The Air Force Chief was contacted and a request was placed for immediate help. The Air Force Chief has responded positively and preparations are on for the operation."
"The Chief Secretary will personally monitor rescue operations," he said in another tweet.
The forest fire for the past five days has gutted thousands of acres of land and is feared to have killed hundreds of wild animals, reptiles and insects.
It has also endangered the lives of tigers.
The chief minister held a review meeting with Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar, senior police officers, secretaries of the forest and officials of the fire department to combat the forest fire.
He has requested the public to stay away from the affected areas in Bandipur until the situation is brought under control.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
