Mumbai varsity to felicitate four employees

Four university employees whose timely intervention helped douse a fire in the Mumbai University’s press section at the Kalina campus two weeks ago will be felicitated on the university’s 156th Foundation Day on Wednesday.

Four university employees whose timely intervention helped douse a fire in the Mumbai University’s press section at the Kalina campus two weeks ago will be felicitated on the university’s 156th Foundation Day on Wednesday.

Had the fire not been put out in time, it could have spread to the examination house adjacent to the press, which stores lakhs of answer sheets.

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The four men who will be awarded are security guards Suresh Pawar and Shyamnarayan Singh and MD Jangam and temporary staff member Praveen Bhujbal Rao.

“Their timely action must be appreciated,” said MC Deo, director of examinations, who sits in the examination house.

The fire, caused by a short circuit in an air conditioner on the ground floor, broke out at around 5.10 pm on July 5, within weeks of the major fire at Mantrayala on June 21.

The four swung into action and ensured it was put out within 20 minutes, preventing any major damage.

The four staffers first shut off the main power supply and then put out the fire using fire extinguishers.

“I wasn’t afraid at all and am happy I was able to ensure the fire was doused,” said Pawar.

“Thanks to the training we have received, we knew what to do,” he added.

The examination house is a four-storied building housing 300 employees and has a storage section with more than 15 lakh answer sheets from this year’s exams.