CUTTACK: The Orissa High Court on Wednesday directed the state director general of Fire Services, Home Guards and Civil Defence to conduct a fire safety audit of hospitals, both in public and private sector, in the state and file a detailed affidavit on their status.
Justice SK Panigrahi issued the order while considering a petition filed by the Health Care Hospital in Kendrapara. The petition challenged the closure of the hospital on the ground of invalid fire safety certificate.
On perusal of the certificate, Justice Panigrahi observe that it contained no details on the duration, not even the expiry date. “This court observes that the fire safety certificate has been reduced to a mere formality. Considering the gravity of the issue and the alarming nature of the problem at hand, the entire fire safety audit report of all the hospitals in the state shall be filed before this court within a period of four months from today,” he ordered.