Bhubaneswar, March 16 – Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi on Monday formed a six-member fact-finding team to investigate the causes of the tragic fire at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, which resulted in the death of 10 patients.
According to a statement from the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO), Development Commissioner Deoranjan Kumar Singh has been appointed as the chairman of the Fact-Finding Team.
Other members of the team include Inspector General of the Fire Services department, Dr. Umashankar Dash, Chief Electrical Inspector and EIC, Barada Prasanna Dash, EIC of the Urban Public Health Department, Birinchi Narayan Pradhan, Chief Engineer (Buildings), Priyabrata Samantaray, and Director of Medical Education and Training, Prof. (Dr.) Santosh Kumar Mishra.
The fact-finding team has also been asked by the Chief Minister to submit its report by this evening.
"This committee will visit the SCB Medical College and Hospital and submit its report to the Chief Secretary by this evening," the order reads.
It may be noted that Majhi had earlier ordered a judicial inquiry into the tragic deaths and assured stringent action against any negligence found during the investigation.
According to reports, the fire broke out in the Intensive Care Unit of the Trauma Care Centre of the SCB hospital at around 2:30–3 a.m. due to a suspected electrical short circuit, resulting in the death of 10 people and leaving several others injured.
Following the incident, CM Majhi personally visited SCB Medical College to assess the situation and directed the administration to provide all possible assistance to the affected families and patients.
He also met the injured persons who were being treated at the hospital and announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh each for the families of the deceased patients.
Similarly, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday expressed distress over the loss of lives in the tragic Cuttack hospital fire incident and announced a compensation of Rs 2 lakh from the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund (PMNRF) for the families of each of the deceased.