Pune: A potential disaster was narrowly averted at the Balgandharva Rangmandir (Theatre) in Pune on Sunday night following a malfunction and subsequent "explosion" in the air conditioning (AC) system. The incident caused a panic as smoke filled the auditorium.

The incident occurred just before the start of the play "Don Vajun 22 Minitaani" (2:22 am), which was scheduled for 9:30 PM.

Related Information:

• Cause of Scare: A malfunction or "explosion" in the theatre's air conditioning system.

• Incident: Large amounts of smoke were seen coming from the balcony area of the auditorium.

• Disaster Averted: Fortunately, the auditorium was empty of spectators at the time, as the audience had not yet been allowed inside.

• Swift Action: The theatre staff acted promptly and managed to bring the situation under control, preventing a major accident.

• Play Proceeded: Following the incident, the gathered audience was allowed entry, and the performance of the play proceeded smoothly.

The quick presence of mind and action by the theatre staff ensured that no harm came to anyone and that the evening's show was ultimately uninterrupted.

000

Kolhapur: The municipal administration worked tirelessly for more than 25 hours to ensure smooth arrangements at the immersion sites and along the immersion routes. Before the immersion, the roads along the procession route were repaired, and encroachments and other obstacles were removed. Along the immersion routes, wooden and sturdy bamboo barricades, as well as iron barricades and watch towers where necessary, were installed.

Large LED lights were set up at the immersion sites to ensure proper lighting. Protective barricading, watch towers, and police tents were arranged around the Irani Khani and nearby areas. CCTV cameras were installed at the Irani Khani and along the procession routes. The health department ensured quick cleaning at the immersion sites, while medical teams were stationed at the procession route and at Irani Khani.

The fire department deployed fire safety squads and guards with the required equipment at the immersion locations. For the immersion of public Ganesh idols, four cranes and 10 floating rafts were provided at Irani Khani. Nearly 3,000 employees from departments such as pavements, health, gardens, and others were deployed to oversee the immersion process. Additionally, 100 tempos, 415 porters, 5 JCBs, 7 dumpers, 4 water tankers, 2 booms, 6 ambulances, and other equipment were put into service.

Dangerous buildings along Mahadwar Road were barricaded for safety. During the immersion, the health department, Dharmadhikari Pratishthan, and Avani Sanstha collected approximately 35 metric tons of idol remains through 10 dumpers. The collected waste was transported for composting and recycling.

Under the guidance of Administrator K. Manjulakshmi, additional commissioners Ravikant Adsul, Shilpa Darekar, deputy commissioners Kapil Jagtap, Paritosh Kankal, Kiran Kumar Dhanawade, assistant commissioners Ujjwala Shinde, Sanjay Sarnayak, Swati Dudhane, Krishna Patil, chief auditor Kalavati Misal, city engineer Ramesh Maskar, chief finance officer Rajshri Patil, health officer Dr. Prakash Pawra, deputy city planner N.S. Patil, city secretary Sunil Bidre, deputy city engineer Mahadev Fulari, Suresh Patil, Nivas Powar, Arun Gujar, chief health inspector Dr. Vijay Patil, chief fire officer Manish Ranbhise, public relations officer Mohan Suryavanshi, environmental engineer Sameer Vyaghrare, assistant electrical engineers Narayan Pujari and Amit Dalvi, and workshop head Vijaysingh Dabhade, along with other officials and staff, worked over 25 continuous hours to successfully conduct the eco-friendly immersion of Ganesh idols.

Immediately after the procession ended, the municipal administration carried out cleaning of the main procession routes. At locations such as Bindu Chowk, Mirajkar Tikti, Mahadwar Road, Papachi Tikti, Bin Khambi Ganesh Temple, Khari Corner, Gangavesh, Rankaala Vesh, Rankaala Tower, Old Vashi Naka, and Irani Khani, more than 10 trolley loads of discarded footwear and other waste were swiftly removed by the health department.