By Channel NewsAsia's Damanjeet Kohli:
"NEW DELHI: The deadly fire at a Kolkata hospital has cast the spotlight once again on the poor safety standards of the Indian city's hospitals and other buildings.
Some reports have suggested that the smoke alarms in the hospital were deactivated by staff who wanted to smoke.
An inquiry has been ordered into the fire - the country's worst in seven years.
At least six senior hospital executives have been charged with culpable homicide, as the death toll climbed past 90.
On Friday, a devastating blaze engulfed the AMRI hospital in eastern Kolkata.
Initial investigations indicate that the fire started in the upper basement of the hospital.
The area, meant for parking, instead served as a warehouse for storing hazardous substances such as liquid chemicals and medical waste, which is not permitted under the law.
Despite several warnings, the hospital failed to remove the inflammable materials from the basement - an oversight that claimed many lives.
Also in focus is the role of hospital staff who allegedly ignored the fire till it became deadly.
Protests against their negligence are raging all over the city. Various candlelight marches were held over the weekend to demand the arrests of top officials.
Sagar Sengupta, Resident, "This is a hospital and they have killed 100 people. If they fly away, it will be a shameful incident for India. We want some justice for this."
The incident has raised doubts over the safety of other public institutions in the city such as shopping malls, schools and offices.
Last year, a fire in an office complex in the city claimed over 40 lives.
The chief minister of the state has now sought weekly status reports on the fire safety of all buildings.
Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, said: "I assure the family members of victims that we are taking and will take strict action against those found guilty of the accident."
The hospital had caught the attention of the fire department for flouting safety guidelines earlier. Firefighting equipment such as extinguishers, smoke alarms and sprinklers were not functioning in the basement.
After last year's similar incident, the government had promised to form an action committee to check the fire safety of all structures. But the accident has shown that promises made in the past have not been kept."
"NEW DELHI: The deadly fire at a Kolkata hospital has cast the spotlight once again on the poor safety standards of the Indian city's hospitals and other buildings.
Some reports have suggested that the smoke alarms in the hospital were deactivated by staff who wanted to smoke.
An inquiry has been ordered into the fire - the country's worst in seven years.
At least six senior hospital executives have been charged with culpable homicide, as the death toll climbed past 90.
On Friday, a devastating blaze engulfed the AMRI hospital in eastern Kolkata.
Initial investigations indicate that the fire started in the upper basement of the hospital.
The area, meant for parking, instead served as a warehouse for storing hazardous substances such as liquid chemicals and medical waste, which is not permitted under the law.
Despite several warnings, the hospital failed to remove the inflammable materials from the basement - an oversight that claimed many lives.
Also in focus is the role of hospital staff who allegedly ignored the fire till it became deadly.
Protests against their negligence are raging all over the city. Various candlelight marches were held over the weekend to demand the arrests of top officials.
Sagar Sengupta, Resident, "This is a hospital and they have killed 100 people. If they fly away, it will be a shameful incident for India. We want some justice for this."
The incident has raised doubts over the safety of other public institutions in the city such as shopping malls, schools and offices.
Last year, a fire in an office complex in the city claimed over 40 lives.
The chief minister of the state has now sought weekly status reports on the fire safety of all buildings.
Mamata Banerjee, Chief Minister of West Bengal, said: "I assure the family members of victims that we are taking and will take strict action against those found guilty of the accident."
The hospital had caught the attention of the fire department for flouting safety guidelines earlier. Firefighting equipment such as extinguishers, smoke alarms and sprinklers were not functioning in the basement.
After last year's similar incident, the government had promised to form an action committee to check the fire safety of all structures. But the accident has shown that promises made in the past have not been kept."
