Sheetla Hospital fails to get fire clearance

GURUGRAM: If cops and fire officials had not worked swiftly and in a synchronised way, Sheetla Hospital blaze would have been worse. An investigation has revealed that the hospital has been operating without a fire clearance since February.
Sources said the hospital administration had applied for the no objection certificate (NOC) from the fire department on January 19, but was informed by the fire department in April that the hospital did not fulfil the criteria to get the certificate.The annual renewal deadline for applying for the certificate was February 20.
The fire department had instructed the hospital administration to install sprinklers in the basement and fix the water tank connection among others. The NOC was never issued as the hospital administration did not revert since the objections were raised by the fire department.
On Friday, a short-circuit in the air conditioner in the hospital’s private ward on the first floor led to the fire. A 10-month-old boy and a 33-year-old woman were present in the room when the incident took place. Within seconds, the room was engulfed in fire and thick smoke soon spread to the other wards of the hospital. There were around 22 patients, their attendants and 35 staff inside the hospital when the incident happened. Panic gripped the entire hospital and people started running helter-skelter. Fortunately, there were no casualties as all patients and the staff were evacuated by police and fire officials.
On Saturday, the district fire safety officer inspected the site and noticed that the fire could have been doused earlier, had there been proper fire-fighting system inside the hospital. He also noticed that the hospital did not have a fire exit. “We have now asked them to install a separate water tank. This is the rule,” said IS Kashyap, district fire safety officer.