UP: Fire Breaks Out At Ghaziabad Mall, Rescue Efforts Underway

A fire erupted in a mall at Rajnagar RDC in Ghaziabad, Uttar Pradesh, on Monday. Following the incident, fire tenders reached the spot. Further details about the incident are still underway, according to a report by ANI.

Fire Erupts In Mohali’s Nature Park

In a separate incident, a sudden fire broke out in a pile of dried leaves in Mohali’s Nature Park in Sector 62 of Punjab, turning several trees into ashes on Sunday, May 27. To douse the flame, several fire brigade vehicles reached the spot.

According to a report by the Indian Express, the fire began around 3 pm and was contained by 6 pm. However, officials are yet to figure out the cause of the fire.

Meanwhile, Mayor Amajit Singh Jitti Sidhu and Deputy Mayor Kuljeet Singh Bedi visited the spot and demanded a probe into the incident. “At first glance, it appears to be a case of arson. Drug addicts frequently gather here, and they may be responsible for this act. It’s unfortunate as trees have been destroyed,” the mayor said.

He also requested the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA) to allocate a designated site for storing fallen leaves to avoid similar incidents in the future.

According to reports, although the Mohali Municipal Corporation has set up Resource Management Centres (RMCs), the current contractor has refused to manage the seasonal surge of dry leaves. A newly constructed RMC at Jagatpura village, meant for green waste, remains largely unused, leaving heaps of leaves unattended.

While mechanical sweeping contractors gather leaves from the roadsides, the absence of dedicated dumping sites leads them to discard the leaves in empty plots. Residents claim that the fire originated from one such unattended pile.

“Leaves were dumped here haphazardly. They can self-ignite in rising temperatures or be set ablaze by miscreants,” Makhan Singh, a resident of phase 7, told the Indian Express.

R S Baidwan, general secretary of the Environment Protection Society, called for urgent measures, including establishing a proper system for leaf disposal, to prevent future disasters and protect air quality.

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