Bhubaneswar: Commissionerate police officials Sunday produced SUM Hospital owner Manoj Nayak in a court here after his remand period expired Saturday evening.
“Nayak’s lawyer has filed a petition in Khurda district and sessions court seeking bail and the hearing will be held Tuesday,” court sources said.
Commissionerate police officials, meanwhile, said they produced Nayak after his two-day remand ended. Interestingly, the police did not seek extension of Nayak’s remand and he was then sent to Jharpada Jail here.
The cops also hinted that as the investigation progresses, SOA Trust’s dean and vice-chancellor might also be apprehended in connection with the October 17 SUM mishap.
Police sources said the cops grilled Nayak and other officials of SOA Trust on various aspects including functioning of the hospital even after the expiry of registration as per the clinical establishment Act.
“Nayak was questioned about the renewal of SUM Hospital’s licence sans fire safety certificate. He was also interrogated about the circumstances that led to the tragedy which claimed 26 lives,” they added.
Fire department sources told this newspaper that they had visited SUM in 2009 and had issued certain fire safety guidelines.
“A fire safety audit was conducted in SUM Hospital in 2009, three years after the health centre was set up in 2006. Fire department officials had noted that the hospital had not followed proper fire safety norms. A fire safety audit was also conducted in the hospital in 2013; the fire department officials reiterated stating that certain fire safety guidelines were ignored. Thus, the hospital continued to function for years without adopting the prescribed fire safety norms,” they added.
Meanwhile, talking on the matter, fire services director general Binoy Kumar Behera told Orissa POST that after the 2013 fire safety audit at the SUM Hospital, they did not issue fire safety certificate to the tainted hospital.
“It is unfair to blame the fire department officials as they did not give the fire safety certificate to SUM Hospital after finding several loopholes,” he said.
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