Smoke in Kolkata Metro rake, services disrupted for 20 mins
Kolkata: Three Metro passengers complained of suffocation Thursday morning as smoke emanated from under a train at Dum Dum station and entered into a few compartments, a fire brigade official said. One of them had to be admitted at state-run R G Kar Hospital, while two others were released after administering first-aid at the station, he said. Two fire tenders arrived at the station to take a note of the situation, but the Metro Railway personnel had detected and doused the source of smoke by then, he added. A Metro spokesperson said that the smoke was detected from under the rake when it was leaving Dum Dum station, in the northern outskirts of the city, at 10.54 am. On noticing the smoke, the train was immediately stopped and passengers evacuated from the coaches, she said. “The train, which had come from Noapara carshed for its first trip of the day, was immediately replaced. Passengers left Dum Dum station for Kavi Subhash at 11.14 am as services remained disrupted for about 20 minutes,” spokesperson Indrani Banerjee said. (PTI)
Maharashtra school serves students khichdi with snake
Nanded (Maharashtra): Students of a government primary school were served khichdi with a snake in it, officials said here on Thursday. The incident took place on Wednesday at the Gargavan Zilla Parishad Primary School, around 50 kms from here, when the 80-odd children studying in Classes I-to-V were served the midday meal. As the school staff started serving, they were shocked to see the snake in the large khichdi vessel. Confirming the incident, Nanded District Education Officer (DEO) Prashant Digraskar said after the reptile was discovered, the service was immediately stopped, adding that most children went hungry for the day. “We have taken this matter very seriously and ordered a probe. A team from the DEO has left for the village today to investigate and necessary action will be taken after their report is received,” Digraskar told IANS on Thursday. He added that the contract to make the khichdi is given by the school management committee to local groups or non-government organisations. (IANS)
Stray cattle menace: Villagers lock cows in UP school
Muzaffarnagar: A case has been registered against 24 people for allegedly evicting students and teachers of a government primary school in Uttar Pradesh to keep stray cows, officials said on Thursday. It has been alleged that villagers in Kudana brought the cows inside the school on Wednesday and closed it, Shamli District Magistrate Akhilesh Kumar said. In December, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had directed officials to make immediate arrangements for proper care of stray cows within a week. Besides asking officials to make 750 cows shelters set up at the Zilla Panchayat level functional, he had also directed them that proper fodder, shed and drinking facilities should be provided to the bovines both in rural and urban areas In a complaint, the education department has said students and teachers were told to vacate the school by villagers who herded stray cows inside the institute’s campus, the district magistrate said. Classes were conducted outside the school after the villagers forced their way inside the school along with stray cows, a teacher said, requesting anonymity. (PTI)
NGT seeks committee’s view to limit petrol pumps
New Delhi: The National Green Tribunal has directed a committee comprising officials from the Ministry of Petroleum and the Central Pollution Control Board to look into the issue of increase in number of petrol pumps across the country and sought a report on the issue. A bench headed by NGT Chairperson Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel and Justice S P Wangdi asked the panel to submit action taken report to the tribunal by April 30. “The first meeting of the Committee may be held within one month and on review of the subject matter, appropriate guidelines be issued by the Central Pollution Control Board, in exercise of its statutory power within three months thereafter,” the bench said while posting the matter for hearing on July 5. The direction came after taking note of a plea filed by one Gyanprakash seeking a cap on number of petrol pumps so as to avoid adverse impact on the environment. The applicant referred to a news item to submit that large number of petrol pumps are being opened without any concern for environment and without any guideline about sustainability. The plea has also made reference to the guidelines issued by Indian Road Congress “General Conditions of Siting”, laying down distance from the highways and distance between the two fuel stations. (PTI)