By IANS,
Kolkata: In the wake of the city’s AMRI Hospital fire tragedy, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee Monday lamented the lack of fire fighting infrastructure and said there was immediate need to revamp the facilities.
“The fire fighting infrastructure is not up to the mark. Many fire engines are gathering dust because of poor maintenance. There is no space for keeping ladders.”
“We need to acquire modern and sophisticated machines to counter fire disasters. Disaster management system needs to be revamped,” said Banerjee at the state secretariat after a meeting with officials of the department concerned.
She, however, said lack of funds has hindered upgradation of fire fighting facilities.
“We came to power only after the budget was presented by the former (Left Front) government. We cannot do anything on that front. We have to manage with whatever fund was allotted in the budget for the fire department,” said Banerjee.
The fire brigade had initially come ill-prepared to tackle the fire, with no gloves and no sky-lift to bring down people from the upper floors.
Besides announcing compensation for the kin of the dead, Banerjee has ordered a judicial inquiry into the blazing tragedy.
In the worst fire accident in any hospital in India, 93 patients and staffers were killed when a blaze started in the basement of the annexe building of the hospital early Friday and quickly spread, trapping hundreds of patients and their relatives.
The state cabinet Monday passed a resolution condoling the deaths and ratified Banerjee’s earlier statement that jobs may be given to one family member each of the dead if they sought it. The government will also give Rs.3 lakh as compensation to the families of each victim if they ask for it.
“The central government has already sanctioned Rs.2 lakh. So the total will be Rs.5 lakh. The centre has also announced Rs.1 lakh for each of the injured,” Banerjee said.
The state government will also felicitate 56 youths of Panchanantala in the AMRI Hospital neighbourhood Tuesday in recognition of their bravery in rescuing the trapped patients. “This will inspire people to come forward in case of such incidents before the government agencies arrive at the spot.”
With one man from Tripura who was admitted in the ill-fated Annexe 1 building still missing, the chief minister said: “While one person is missing, one of the bodies is still unidentified. We will see by comparing photos if one body has been exchanged for someone else.”
On the proposed judicial probe into the fire, Banerjee said the government was looking for a suitable retired judge. “We want a person who can handle the case strongly. We want truth to come out.”
The chief minister said she would have preferred a sitting judge, but there was a Supreme Court ruling against appointing any working judge on judicial commissions.