BERHAMPUR: Even as the exact cause of the fire on the fifth floor of the super-speciality block of MKCG Medical College and Hospital is yet to be ascertained, several loopholes in safety have come to the fore at the mishap spot.
Circumstantial evidence suggests the fire was caused by a short circuit. Though the electricity and air conditioning maintenance staff are blaming each other, it is alleged that the fire extinguishers kept on the floor have already expired. The hospital has engaged a private firm for maintaining the air-conditioning unit on the floor. The sprinklers installed on the floor too did not work after the fire was reported in the OT.
Southern division fire officer PK Dash, who visited the spot soon after the mishap said several fire safety measures were not in place. The super-speciality five-storey building of the hospital was constructed at a cost of around Rs 150 crore under Prime Minister Swasthya Suraksha Yojana and made functional last year. While adequate fire extinguishers and sprinklers were installed at the required places, they did not serve the purpose on the day of the mishap. The sprinkler did not function as the pump on the ground floor was not working, said sources.
Last May, the Odisha Fire Services DG Santosh Kumar Upadhyay issued instructions to all concerned to strictly enforce the guidelines under Odisha Fire Prevention and Fire Safety Rules, 2017. Besides he had asked officials to ensure the appointment of Fire Safety Supervisors of Buildings as enumerated under Rule-15. Though the directive was mandated to be implemented by the end of May, the incident at MKCG MCH has pointed to the lackadaisical attitude towards ensuring safety measures.