Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government on Monday ordered a judicial inquiry into the tragic fire at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack that claimed the lives of ten patients and triggered widespread concern over safety measures in one of the state’s largest government hospitals.
According to an official notification issued by the Home Department, retired district judge Laxmidhar Biswal has been appointed to conduct the inquiry. The commission has been directed to submit its report within sixty days from the date of publication of the notification in the Odisha Gazette.
The notification, issued by order of the Governor and signed by Additional Chief Secretary Hemant Sharma, stated that the state government considers the incident a matter of serious public importance and has decided to initiate a detailed judicial probe to determine the circumstances leading to the tragedy.
The headquarters of the inquiry commission will be based in Cuttack, though the commission has been given the authority to hold hearings or conduct investigations at any other location if required during the course of the probe.
The inquiry will examine the sequence of events that led to the fire in the Trauma Care Intensive Care Unit of the hospital on March 16 and determine the role, conduct and accountability of individuals or authorities connected with the incident. It will also review the preparedness of the hospital administration and other concerned agencies in handling emergency situations of such magnitude.
Apart from establishing responsibility, the commission will assess whether the steps taken before and after the incident were adequate and effective in saving the lives of patients and others present at the hospital during the fire. It will also suggest measures and recommendations to prevent such tragedies from occurring in the future.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi had also constituted a six member fact finding committee to investigate the incident and submit its findings, as the state government faced mounting pressure to ensure accountability and strengthen safety mechanisms in major healthcare institutions.
