Only 329 of 8,728 hospitals in K'taka meet fire safety standards, raising safety concerns
Bengaluru: A startling revelation has come to light as only 329 of the 8,728 registered government and private hospitals in Karnataka comply with mandated fire safety standards, sparking serious questions about the safety of patients and staff.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, responding to a question by Legislative Council member Dhananjay Sarji, disclosed that merely 14 out of 2,878 government hospitals and 315 of 5,850 private hospitals have implemented the required fire safety measures, according to a report by The New Indian Express published on Tuesday.
As per the National Building Code, all hospitals in the state are required to adopt uniform fire safety protocols. However, the vast majority have yet to meet these standards. In 2024 alone, three hospitals reported fire-related incidents, prompting a special meeting to address the issue, which previously had not received adequate attention.
The assessment revealed that 2,864 government hospitals are currently non-compliant with fire safety regulations. Gundu Rao estimated that achieving fire safety clearance for all government hospitals would cost approximately Rs 550 crore.
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Niqab incident: Nitish Kumar perhaps revealing his true colours, says J-K CM
Srinagar (PTI): Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Wednesday criticised his Bihar counterpart over the niqab incident and said that Nitish Kumar might be slowly revealing his true nature.
"Nitish Kumar, who was once considered a secular leader, may be slowly showing his true colours," Abdullah told reporters here on the sidelines of a function.
Abdullah said Kumar removing the face veil of a Muslim woman doctor was wrong and cannot be justified by any means.
"We have seen this kind of incident here several years ago. Have you forgotten how Mehbooba Mufti removed the burqa of a legitimate voter inside a polling station? That act was wrong, and this act (of Kumar) is also wrong.
"If the (Bihar) chief minister did not want to hand over the order to her (Muslim woman), they could have kept her aside. However, to humiliate her like this is totally wrong," the Jammu and Kashmir chief minister said.
Kumar stirred a huge controversy after he removed the face veil of a Muslim woman at a function earlier this week.
