From Our Correspondent
GUWAHATI: Alarmed by the recent devastating fire at AMRI Hospital fire in neighbouring Kolkata in which about 93 people were killed, Assam government has decided to conduct a fresh fire-safety audit in all the hospitals, educational institutions, hotels and residential apartment buildings in the state.
Assam chief minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday informed that the government had taken serious view of the recent hospital fire in Kolkata and decided adopt a cautious line to prevent occurrence of similar incidents in the state.
“We have decided and issued necessary instruction to concerned agencies to carry out fresh fire safety audit in all government and private hospitals, educational institutions, hotels and apartment buildings in Guwahati and rest of the state to find out the status of fire safety measures in place,” Gogoi said.
“We would ask the establishments, if found lacking, to gear up their fire safety measures within a stipulated period. I case of those establishments where there is no proper fire safety apparatus in place, temporary closure notice will be served so that they can put a system in place before resuming business,” Gogoi said.
The hospitals in Assam are required to get prior permission under Assam Hospital Establishment Act to set up a hospice in the state.
There Act has in built prescription for fire safety measures to be undertaken by the hospitals.
Private hospitals and educational institutions have been mushrooming in the state especially in Guwahati city during the fifteen years in tune with burgeoning population in urban centres in the state.
Meanwhile, Assam government has decided to institute a judicial probe into the alleged fake ration cards (family identity cards) in circulation under PDS in the state to stem the rot.
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi informed that as many as 1.31 lakh such fake ration cards had been detected in the state by the Food and Civil Supplies Department during the last two years and the government was taking a serious view of it.
He said the judicial inquiry into the fake ration card racket would be headed by a retired High Court Judge.