Bhubaneswar, March 18: Following the tragic fire incident at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on March 16, which officially claimed the lives of 12 patients, four officials have been suspended for negligence. The suspended individuals include three officers from the fire department and one engineer.
In the wake of the incident, opposition parties, including BJD and Congress, have intensified their protests both inside and outside the Odisha Assembly, demanding the resignation of Health Minister Dr. Mukesh Mahaling.
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Chandra Majhi has ordered the suspension of the four officials after an investigation into the allegations of negligence. The suspended officials are identified as Prakash Kumar Jena (Deputy Fire Officer, Cuttack Circle), Sanjeev Kumar Behera (Assistant Fire Officer, Cuttack Circle), Abhinav Prusti (Station Officer, SCB Medical College and Hospital), and Ranjan Kumar Biswal (Assistant Executive Engineer, SCB Sub-Division, GED, Cuttack).
Notably, the Chief Minister had previously constituted a six-member fact-finding team, headed by Development Commissioner Devaranjan Kumar Singh, to investigate the causes of the fire at SCB Medical College.
Additionally, the state government has set up a one-member judicial inquiry commission, chaired by retired District Judge Lakshmidhar Biswal, tasked with submitting its report within 60 days from the date of notification in the Odisha Gazette.
The commission is directed to investigate the sequence of events related to the fire incident, determine the roles, conduct, and accountability of the individuals or officials involved, assess the preparedness of the hospital and other agencies to handle such incidents, and evaluate the effectiveness of the measures taken before and after the incident to save patients’ lives.
The government has also instructed the commission to provide recommendations to prevent such tragedies in the future.
Reports indicate that the devastating fire broke out between 2 AM and 3 AM in the ICU of the Trauma Care Center at SCB Medical College due to an electrical short circuit.