Lack of Fire Safety Documents at 10 Hospitals in Gautam Buddh Nagar

A recent inspection by the fire department revealed that as many as 10 hospitals in Gautam Buddh Nagar were found without a fire No-objection Certificate (NoC). The inspection, which was conducted in response to the recent massive fire at the state-run Maharani Laxmibai Medical College Hospital in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi, claimed the lives of 11 newborns.

Among the defaulting hospitals are Super Speciality Paediatric Hospital & Post Graduate Teaching Institute; Gautam Buddh Nagar District Hospital; and Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital. The total number of hospitals in Gautam Buddh Nagar is 185, with the fire department planning to inspect the remaining ones over the next four to five days.

According to Chief Fire Officer Pradeep Kumar, water seepage at the Paediatric Hospital poses a serious threat to its fire system. "The building lacks a smoke detection system and exhaust fans are not connected to electric motors," he stated. This would make it extremely challenging to rescue lives in case of a fire.

Kumar also informed that a letter was sent to the hospital director, Dr Arun Kumar Singh, demanding immediate action on installing a proper fire system.

"We have been given 15 days to fix this. We will get all necessary measures done at the earliest," said Dr Singh, Paediatric Hospital director. Furthermore, ESIC hospital in Gautam Buddh Nagar lacks any form of firefighting system in place.

The District Magistrate could not be reached despite repeated attempts. The hospitals without fire NoCs have been issued a reminder to obtain the necessary documents to comply with safety regulations.

This is the sixth time that the hospital officials have been reminded about their failure to install a fire-safety system, according to Kumar.