JOIN USBurning bogie creates panic
The incident occurred at Ashokapuram Railway Station on Manandavadi Road around 1.45 pm. In all seven bogies, considered as condemned coaches fit for auctioning by the authorities concerned, were stationed at the end of the railway station towards Nachanahalli Palya side, about 150 metres away from South MSS Power Station of Chamundeshwari Electricity Supply Corporation Limited (Cesc).
M S Srinivas, a lineman attached to Cesc and a resident of the quarters situated a few metres away from the place of fire accident noticed the fire around 1.45 pm, following an alert by a lady in the neighbourhood. “I immediately informed the fire and emergency services office,” he said. An air-conditioned coach was totally burnt, while another bogie adjacent to it was partially burnt.
Initially, only one fire tender was pressed into service. But, it couldn’t prove much help in dousing the fire as it began to engulf the compartment owing to winds. Soon after, four more fire tenders including a special vehicle that has a capacity of storing 16,000 litres of water were summoned by Regional Fire Officer C Gurulingaiah. To avoid fire from spreading to other bogies, the authorities concerned thought it wise to detach the bogies on both the sides of the compartment that had caught fire, facilitating fire fighters to aim water guns with increased water pressure. Finally, firemen succeeded in extinguishing the fire, after an hour.
A railway officer who didn’t wish to be quoted stated that the process to auction the bogies was underway, as they had completed 25 years of service, a set period considered to relegate them into history. On the cause of fire, he attributed it to pranksters who have made such unused bogies their joint. There are chances of a discarded cigarette butt sparking fire due to scorching heat. However, contradicting this, another said the coach was fire resistant.
Curious people who had gathered on either sides, also chipped in to help the firemen in shifting the long pipes of waterguns in different directions. Thick black smoke billowing from the train had attracted many who were standing on the road sides watching the same with anxiety writ large on their faces. Divisional Security Commissioner, South Western Railways, Mysore division, P K Mohan Das and other officers visited the spot. Government railway police have registered a case.
Wife killer gets 10 years jail
A man convicted of abetting his wife to kill self, has been sentenced to 10 years imprisonment along with another, by a court here. Srinivasa and Varaiahana Kariyaiah of Sindhuvalli in the district are those convicts. Fourth Additional District and Sessions Court Judge M N Kanti also ordered the duo to undergo additional imprisonment of six months, if they failed to pay the fine amount of ` 5,000 imposed on each.
Srinivas had married Mahdevi daughter of Sakamma of Kamarahalli. The couple was quarrelling often and Srinivas had once tried to kill her by setting her ablaze. In the year 2008, Srinivas in an inebriated condition had drowned his toddler daughter to death. Following year Mahadevi consumed poison to death. Both the cases had been registered in South Police Station’s limits. B Thimmanna Nayak was the public prosecutor, said a press release.