Rescue at Tumkur road Dasarahalli.

Mock drill

BANGALORE: The NCC and NSS unit of Kristu Jayanti College, in collaboration with the Karnataka State Fire and Emergency Services Department and Home Guards and Civil Defence hosted a mock drill on disaster management for students, staff and residents of K. Narayanapura, on the college premises on Monday.

Fire averted

KOLAR: Alert public averted a major fire accident in Kolar on Sunday. Residents of Palasndra Layout in Gulpet police station limits saw smoke near Sri Krishna Tyres and alerted the Fire and Emergency Services. The fire tender personnel immediately rushed to the spot and extinguished the fire which caught the waste tyres dumped behind the factory.

Fire commandoes undergo training

MANGALORE: They wear fatigues much similar to those worn by the Rapid Action Force (RAF), but perform a different function. While the RAF, a specialized wing of the These commandoes - 25 of them - are presently in the city to complete a part of their training which includes a fortnight-long course in mountain craft training that has rock climbing, gap crossing and jungle trekking. They are being trained under the watchful eyes of the director of Kirthi Adventure Institute Theodore M Lasrado at Parapade and other places. These commandoes - 25 of them - are presently in the city to complete a part of their training which includes a fortnight-long course in mountain craft training that has rock climbing, gap crossing and jungle trekking. They are being trained under the watchful eyes of the director of Kirthi Adventure Institute Theodore M Lasrado at Parapade and other places.

D Rasheed, deputy director (administration), department of fire and emergency services told The Times of India that the idea of giving specialized training to the officers in addition to their regular training emerged from aftermath of 26/11 incidents in Mumbai. "We need officers who can handle exigencies apart from their routine tasks and hence have gone in for a small batch of motivated and fit officers for this purpose," he said. The men have completed six-month basic training course and are presently in the second phase of their 40-day specialized training. “The first and third phase of the specialized training will be conducted at the department's training academy in Bangalore,” Rasheed said, adding that the prime mover behind this concept of training officers as commandoes is Jija Madhavan Hari Singh, DGP and director-general of fire and emergency services. On completion of their training, these commando officers will be deployed throughout the state so that they can lead their peers to face any exigencies. “The training module has three angles - training for their soul, body and mind,” he said and added that the department has plans to train 300 officers, in all in a phased manner. “The first batch of 25 officers trained by the department is already on the job,” Rasheed said.

Six hurt in factory blast near Electronics

Staff Reporter
BANGALORE: Six persons, including three contract labourers, were injured in a blast at a herbal products production unit in Veerasandra Industrial Estate near Electronics City on Friday.
According to Regional Fire Officer Ravi Shankar, the blast occurred in the processing area of Natural Remedies, which exports herbal products. The blast was a result of pressure created because of accumulation of vapours generated in the area. Supervisors Chandrashekar (20), Kamal (33) and Wisagon (27) and Duryodhan, Manjunath Reddy and Prasanna, labourers, were injured.

Man dies in road accident, mob sets tipper on fire

Karwar: An angry mob burnt down a tipper in Kinnar village near Karwar on Wednesday in protest against the death of a person in a road accident in the village. The villagers were angry over the alleged reckless driving by tipper drivers who transport stones and sand from the village. Gurudas Kochrekar (54) of Kinnar village was the victim. Two complaints, one by the relative of the dead and the other by the owner of the burnt tipper, have been lodged in the Karwar Rural police station. According to the relatives of Gurudas Kochrekar, the tipper hit him when he was crossing the road. They alleged that tipper drivers always drove their vehicles speedily in residential areas and even near schools. The repeated warning by villagers had gone unheeded. They said there had been accidents in the area in the past involving tippers. They alleged that every day more than 200 tippers passed through the residential area of the village disturbing life. The roads in the village were narrow and this resulted in accidents, the villagers said. In his complaint, the owner of the damaged tipper, Narayan Kashinath Naik (45), alleged that Gurudas was under the influence of alcohol and tried to get into the tipper by stopping it. The tipper driver slowed down the vehicle as schoolchildren were crossing the road. But Grurudas allegedly tried to board the tipper and fell under the rear wheel of the vehicle. Narayan has named Vinod Manohar Kotharkar and Vidyadhar and others for setting the tipper on fire. He said that the mob attacked the driver of the tipper and set the vehicle on fire after opening the diesel tank. Members of the Tipper Owners Association gathered in front of the police station and said that anti-social elements in Kinnar village were harassing them. A fire tender was pressed into service. Karwar Rural police are investigating the case.

Theatre catches fire

DAVANGERE: A tent theatre was burnt down completely here on Tuesday afternoon but no casualties were reported in the accident. A tragedy was averted as the tent caught fire minutes before the afternoon show. Hundreds of people witness dramas every afternoon and a play was scheduled to begin there at 3 p.m. The accident occurred at around 2.40 p.m. By the time fire services personnel rushed to the spot, the tent was reduced to ashes. Vishwa Jyothi Panchakshari Natya Sangha had set up the tent theatre some days ago. The exact reason for the fire was not yet known. The police, however, suspect short-circuit to be the cause.