Covid-19 testing lab sealed in Trichy for violating construction rules

TRICHY: A few days after issuing notice to Doctors Diagnostic Centre (DDC) in Trichy for ‘inaccuracy’ in Covid-19 testing, the Trichy City Corporation on Monday sealed the entire centre over violation of building rules.
A team of officials from the corporation along with police visited DDC on Monday morning and ordered the laboratory administration to vacate. Following this, they sealed the three-floor building over violation in construction.
Executive engineer (east) P Sivapatham said, “They have violated rules for all the floors. The issue has been going on for a long time. We have issued a notice to them 40 days ago. Since no corrective measures were taken, the laboratory has been sealed. Covid-19 testing facility in the lab was sealed today.”
The laboratory has been functioning in the building for nearly eight years. DDC was one of the few laboratories conducting tests during the dengue outbreak a few years ago.
Claiming that the corporation wrongly accused them of violating building rules, managing director of DDC Dr PK Rath said that a health officer from the corporation issued them a notice on July 25 stating that the lab declared a road traffic accident victim, who had to undergo a surgery, as positive for Covid-19.
“This was one month ago, and it was a typographical error. We identified the error at our end and rectified the same. They issued a notice saying that they will levy a fine of Rs 5 lakh, following which I stopped collecting samples for Covid-19 on the same day. Today, they sealed DDC,” Dr Rath said.
The electricity connection to the centre was also disconnected. Corporation officials waited till the afternoon as the laboratory asked permission from the officials to finish some tests of patients, who already had appointments.