9 sustain burn injuries as fire breaks out in Bengaluru corporation office; CM orders inquiry
Bengaluru (PTI): Nine people sustained serious burn injuries when a fire broke out in the Quality Control Division of the Bengaluru civic agency on Friday.
Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said he has ordered an inquiry into the incident and an FIR has been registered.
Tushar Giri Nath, chief commissioner, Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP)told reporters that the incident took place between 5 pm and 5.30 pm.
"I was in the office, there was a power failure. Then I learnt that a fire broke out in a building behind our office. When I went there, I saw a massive fire raging from the building. The incident caused major loss. Those working around there were injured. They were rushed to hospital," he said.
The injured were rushed to Saint Martha's Hospital in the vicinity for first aid and were subsequently shifted to the burns ward of the Victoria Government Hospital.
Nath said nine engineers, including the chief engineer, have sustained injuries. He however, declined to explain about their health condition.
To a query about the damage to materials, the BBMP chief said it will be known later.
"We are not focusing on what is burnt there. It will be known later," he said.
The incident occurred days after the Congress-led state government ordered a judicial inquiry into the alleged irregularities that took place in the BBMP during the previous the BJP government.
Apart from the judicial probe, Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, who holds the Bengaluru Development portfolio, formed four panels headed by IAS officers to investigate the alleged irregularities in the civic agency.
Siddaramaiah along with his deputy and Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy visited Victoria Hospital and enquired about the health condition of the injured.
Later speaking to reporters, he said he has ordered Nath to investigate how and why the incident happened. He said the injured have sustained injuries on their faces and hands.
Doctors, according to the chief minister, have said that the injured have got over 30 per cent burn wounds. He said he is hopeful that they would recover.
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Karnataka procured 16 lakh expired RT-PCR kits during Covid wave: D’Cunha commission
Bengaluru: Justice John Michael D’Cunha’s committee has uncovered significant irregularities in the procurement of medical supplies during the Covid-19 pandemic, revealing that more than 16 lakh RT-PCR test kits purchased by Karnataka in 2022 under the BJP-led government were either expired or close to their expiry dates.
After irregularities in PPE kit purchases, ventilators have also come under the scanner, with the report highlighting discrepancies amounting to Rs 173.26 crore in purchases made by the Medical Education Department.
The commission has also found that the Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Ltd. (KSMSCL) that cancelled a supply order for one lakh Rapid Antigen (RAT) kits placed with a Singapore-based company in March 2020 — for delay in supplying — has not recovered the Rs 6.99 crore paid to the company towards the order, as reported by The Hindu on Thursday.
According to the 279-page report on procurements made by the KSMSCL that is compiled in part IV of the report, a payment of Rs 148.84 crore was made by KSMSCL to various suppliers and firms towards procurement of RT-PCR kits from 2020 to 2022.
The Commission’s report, as cited by the publication, stated that there were records indicating procurement of RT-PCR kits, RNA extraction kits and Viral transport media (VTM) of a total value of Rs 106.25 crore during the pandemic in Karnataka. However, according to the report, this procurement was made without administrative approval.
“Since the KSMSCL has failed to discharge its obligation and responsibility, the loss caused to the State exchequer to this extent is required to be replenished by the erring officers and/or officials of the KSMSCL as well as the officers and/or officials of the consignee designated laboratories who received the consignment,” the report said, pegging the losses due to expired kits supplied by companies at Rs 3.11 crore.
In response to the report’s findings, state Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao criticised the saffron party for profiting from the pandemic. He promised accountability for the irregularities involving PPE kits and ventilators, stating that those responsible would face punishment.
