Cuttack: The Orissa High Court has directed the superintendent of SCB Medical College and Hospital and executive engineer of public works department (PWD) to submit affidavits over unsafe outdoor building of the hospital.
Acting on a petition filed by advocate and president of Maitri Sansad Ajay Mohanty, a bench of Justices Indrajit Mohanti and Subash Chandra Parija Wednesday asked the SCB superintendent to submit action-taken report (ATR) in response to the letter of PWD executive engineer.
PWD executive engineer-I, Pramod Nayak, who appeared in the court as per earlier order, said the outdoor building is totally unsafe and untoward incidents at any time cannot be ruled out. “A notice was sent to the SCB superintendent November 8 last year to vacate the building immediately. We will begin repair works on the building once it is vacated,” Nayak told the court.
Sources said the petitioner had informed the court that healthcare services are being provided at the outdoor despite it being declared unsafe.
A high-level meeting was convened by the hospital superintendent November 11 last year and a committee was formed to shift the outdoor to the ground floor of the eye department by December 16.
“Meanwhile, the hospital superintendent has written to the eye department thrice to vacate the ground floor, but to no avail. The unsafe building poses threat to hundreds of patients visiting the hospital every day,” the petitioner said. PNN
