NE NEWS SERVICE
AHMEDABAD, AUG 7
A day after eight COVID-19 patients died in a blaze at a private hospital in Ahmedabad, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani on Friday asked the authorities to undertake a fire safety audit in hospitals and buildings across the state.
A similar order was issued after an inferno at a coaching class in Surat had claimed many lives.
He asked the state Urban Development department to check the implementation of fire safety norms in hospitals, commercial and residential buildings, an official release said.
Rupani also asked the civic bodies to make spot visits to check compliance in urban areas, it added.
Eight patients died in the fire inside the ICU ward of four-storey Shrey Hospital in Navrangpura area of Ahmedabad in the early hours of Thursday.
Navrangpura police have registered a case in connection with the fire incident and recorded the statements of eight people, including doctors, attendants, and trustee Bharat Mahant so far, Deputy Commissioner of Police Ravindra Patel said.
The investigation has revealed that Shrey Hospital, authorised by the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) to treat COVID-19 patients, did not have a fire safety no objection certificate (NOC), the official said.
“The hospital had finished chemical refilling of fire fighting equipment. The expiry of this equipment is March 2021. However, after refilling, the hospital did not apply for the renewal of NOC due to lockdown. The fire NOC expired in April this year,” Patel said.
He added that no decision had been taken as yet to add more stringent provisions of the IPC in the case.
A two-member committee formed by the state government, comprising Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Sangeeta Singh and Additional Chief Secretary (Urban Development) Mukesh Puri is also probing the incident.
The committee has been asked to submit its report by Saturday.
