Government facilities fail scrutiny in Vizag?

Following the fire at a COVID-19 hotel facility in Vijayawada that killed 10 persons last week, Collector V. Vinay Chand formed a committee to inspect the safety of electrical equipment in 79 such centres in Visakhapatnam district, including major hospitals.

Twenty-six teams comprising over 100 officials from the District Fire Office, GVMC fire wing, APEPDCL and Revenue Department have inspected the centres.

"All the teams have made a consolidated report based on their observations and it has been submitted to the Collector," says Regional Fire Officer, GVMC, Niranjan Reddy.

According to sources, while private hospitals, hotels (above 15 metres) have the required No Objection Certificate (NOC) and are following the norms prescribed by the Fire Department, a few government-run COVID-19 Care Centres (CCCs) and hospitals lack proper fire safety.

A senior officer in a team says that one of the important government hospitals in the city lacks fire safety measures. "When questioned, the authorities said the process is on and the equipment will be arranged soon," he says.

According to a COVID-19 survivor who was treated in a CCC in Madhurawada area, he did not find a fire extinguisher during his six-day stay. The rooms were packed with beds violaitng basic social distancing norms.

A senior fire official opines that the staff at the care centres should be given basic training in fire-fighting skills like using a fire extinguisher. Maps should be displayed explaining entry and exit points, emergency exits and dos and don’ts in case of an emergency.