Bhopal hospital, where fire killed 4 infants, didn't have safety clearance: Report

The fire safety equipment installed at the hospital was outdated and not working, a top fire safety official said

The government hospital in Bhopal, where four newborn children died in a fire on Tuesday, did not have the mandatory fire safety clearance, a top official of the fire safety department told NDTV, adding that the accident could have been averted if the building had followed the rules.

The fire destroyed the third floor of the Kamla Nehru Hospital in the city.

"Despite being served notice four-five times in the past six months, the Kamla Nehru Hospital management didn't get the fire safety NOC. There are 500-600 big and small medical facilities in Bhopal that have been served notices for fire safety NOC in past six months," Bhopal Municipal Corporation Fire Services chief K S Parihar said, pointing out that the Kamla Nehru Hospital had never applied for fire safety NOC.

Also read: Bhopal hospital fire: 4 lives snuffed out even before parents could name them

Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan has ordered for the fire safety audit of all government and private hospitals in the state, calling the fire accident a result of "criminal negligence".

Hundreds of buildings in the state have been served notice over fire safety NOC, Parihar said. "Our firefighters were at the hospital within 15 minutes of getting information... but the fire safety equipment installed at the hospital was outdated and not working," he added.

Meanwhile, Madhya Pradesh Congress has demanded a probe by a sitting high court judge in the fire and claimed that the BJP government was suppressing information about other children who were affected by the blaze. Apex child rights body NCPCR has also sought the constitution of an inquiry team comprising senior officers to look into the deaths of infants.

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(With agency inputs)