Odisha has assigned a former judge to lead the investigation into the fire at the SCB Medical College and Hospital.

In a recent development, the state of Odisha has appointed retired district judge Laxmidhar Biswal to lead a judicial inquiry into the tragic fire that broke out at the SCB Medical College Hospital in Cuttack. The incident resulted in the loss of 10 lives and left 11 others with burn injuries. According to a notification issued by the Home Department, the panel has been given a time frame of 60 days to submit its report.

The commission's responsibility is to conduct a thorough investigation of the events that led to the fire in the Trauma Care ICU, as well as scrutinize the actions and responsibilities of the individuals and authorities involved in the mishap. Additionally, the commission will also look into the hospital's preparedness to handle such emergencies, the effectiveness of response measures taken before and after the incident, and provide recommendations to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future. In the notification, the state government expressed its deep concern about this matter of public importance and stressed the need for a judicial probe to ensure transparency and accountability.

The commission's headquarters will be based in Cuttack, with the flexibility to conduct proceedings elsewhere if necessary. Following the fire incident at SCB Medical College Hospital, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi visited the site and immediately announced a judicial probe into the matter. He also instructed the Fire Service DG to personally visit the hospital and ensure that all fire safety protocols were in place.

The Chief Minister also stated that if anyone is found to be responsible for the incident, strict action will be taken against them. It is indeed a tragic incident that has caused great distress to the people of Odisha. The state government is determined to get to the bottom of this and ensure that such incidents do not occur in the future.

Orissa POST - Odisha's No.1 English Daily will continue to provide updates on this matter as it unfolds.