Odisha hosp tragedy: Two FIRs filed against Sum Hospital

Odisha Sun Times Bureau
Bhubaneswar, Oct 18:

While the death toll due to the fire at Sum Hospital in the Odisha capital yesterday mounted to 20, two separate FIRs were filed against the hospital authorities today at the Khandagiri police station here.

While the first FIR was filed by the Directorate of Fire Services (DFS), the second FIR was filed by the Directorate of Medical Education & Training (DMET).

The first FIR filed by B B Das Fire Officer (Central Range) of the DFS has alleged of negligence in conduct and safety on the part of hospital authorities and claimed that fire safety norms were violated. Fire extinguishing equipment and water storage as per fire safety guidelines issued to hospitals and clinical establishments by the Fire Service department in 2013 were inadequate at the hospital, it claimed.

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“In 2013, we had conducted a fire safety audit in all hospitals, including Sum Hospital. We had issued a letter to the hospital authorities warning them of the lapses in the firefighting system of the hospital. We had made some recommendations. Despite a lapse of three years, none of these have been implemented by the hospital authorities,” said Binay Behera, Director General Fire Services.

The second FIR against the hospital authorities has been filed at the Khandagiri police station by the DMET.

In the FIR filed by Umakanta Satpathy Joint Director DMET it has been alleged that there was wilful negligence, poor patient evacuation management and poor crowd management on part of the hospital authorities.

Meanwhile, NSUI’s Odisha unit and another local socio-cultural organisation also lodged separate FIRs against the hospital’s promoter Manoj Nayak at the Khandagiri police station, police sources said.