PIL on hospital fire safety norms: Orissa HC issues notices

The Orissa High Court today issued notices to the Chief Secretary, Health Secretary, DG of fire services and Khurda district collector to file respective counters to a PIL pertaining to gross violation of fire safety norms in the state's private hospitals.
Issuing notices to the respondents, a division bench headed by Chief Justice Vineet Saran posted the matter for hearing on December 15.
The petition was filed by advocate Shivshankar Mohanty in the backdrop of the September fire tragedy at SUM Hospital in Bhubaneswar. It claimed that several private hospitals and nursing homes in the state were not adhering to the provisions of Orissa Fire Services Act of 1993 and the Orissa Clinical Establishment (Control and Regulation) Act of 1990.

Citing the specific example of 2014 fire mishap in Kalinga Institute of Medical Science (KIMS) under KIIT University in Bhubaneswar, the petitioner maintained that the same teaching hospital is running without a valid certificate of registration from the district magistrate as per the requirement of Clinical Establishment Act of 1990.
Annexing various letters of communication between him with that of the district collector, DMET and DG of fire services in his petition, the petitioner urged the high court for an immediate intervention and direction to the authorities concerned to seal all those private hospitals and nursing homes that are running without proper fire safety measures in place.