Cooking near Metro pillar sparks panic

BENGALURU: Chaos prevailed near the Sri Balagangadharanatha Swamiji Metro station, Vijayanagar, west Bengaluru, when a thick cloud of smoke emanated from a pillar supporting the viaduct and spread over the elevated tracks. A fire tender from Vijayanagar fire station rushed to the spot and police blocked traffic for a while. Metro rail services were not affected.
"The smoke was noticed around 1pm and we found that some ragpickers used the rainwater harvesting hole, at the bottom of the pillar, as a stove. Seeing the police and fire tender rushing towards them, the rag-pickers ran helter-skelter," Vijayanagar police said. They left behind rice and vegetables they had stocked for cooking.
Later, police cleared the makeshi ft stove of garbage, wooden pieces and papers. "We'll increase police patrolling around the area, particularly the Metro pillars, and warn rag-pickers living near the Metro station not to do such things," police said.