| GMC&H fails to beat fire in store, drugs worth lakhs gutted | | Fire-fighting system fails for sixth time in a row | |  Nitesh Sangral
Early Times Report
jammu, Aug 2: For the sixth time in a row, the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMC&H) failed to douse minor flames, this time generated in drug store, gutting drugs worth several lakhs of rupees, as fire-fighting system didn't work, signaling something fishy.
Sources informed Early Times that in the last six months, nearly six incidents of fire were reported from various wings of GMC&H and its associate hospitals and every time the fire-fighting system didn't work, causing huge loss to the state exchequer.
On the intervening night of August 1 and 2, at around 1 AM, fire broke out- allegedly due to short-circuit-in the Drug store, which is near Principal's office building.
"The fire-hydrants fitted in the building, once again didn't work on time and no automatic alarm was sounded. When the staff sighted the flames and smoke, they informed the administration, who immediately tried to open the main door but failed to unlock the same due non-availability of keys. They tried to break open the door but failed and finally called the fire brigade", the officials said.
They further informed that the fire-brigade tenders took nearly half an hour to reach the spot due to wrong parking on the roads from main gate to drug stone, the distance is around 300 meters. The fire brigade tenders finally broke open the doors and douse the flames after nearly three hours of hard work, but until then drugs worth several lakhs of rupees were gutted in fire.
In the last six months there are six incidents of fire and ever time, fire-fighting system of worth several lakhs didn't work on time. In the last six months, fire incidents were reported from Hostel, GMC&H Store, near spinal ward (ward 15) of GMC&H, Super Specialty Hospital and ENT Department of Shri Maharaja Gulab Singh (SMGS) Hospital Jammu but it seems the administration of hospital as well as higher ups are least bothered about the safety of staff, patients and their attendants.
The investigation of the incident is to be done by a 7 members' team, comprising Dr Bella Mahajan as chairperson of the committee, Dr Rakesh Bhel as memeber, XEn Civil, XEn Mechanical, Co-opt. Electrician Engineer, AD Planning and Account officer of associated hospitals. The committee has to submit the report by tomorrow(Wednesday) but as per the preliminary investigation it has found that fire broke out due to lack of space for storing within the store as there is no cross ventilation, Refrigerator and computer were put on wrong places and extra burden of power is on same wires, have been given to Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation (JKMSC).
Officials alleged that the repeated failure of automatic fire-fighting system in the GMC&H is also signaling towards some hidden plan of some officials to earn fortunes by showing gutting of valuables worth lakhs in various wards and escape from any enquiry about the embezzlements of funds. |
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