The West Bengal Cabinet on Monday approved a proposal to offer one job to each of the families of those who have died in the devastating fire at AMRI Hospitals, Dhakuria, last week. A compensation of Rs. 3 lakh will also be given to each of the bereaved families.
Briefing journalists after the meeting, Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee said: “Money can never compensate for a life that is lost but this is our humble offering. The Cabinet has approved this decision. We will offer jobs to those who need it.”
While this was an upscale hospital where normally well-to-do people come, “there may be some people who have lost everything in this tragedy,” she said. “We would like to help them in our humble way.”
On whether the families of the two nurses from Kerala who lost their lives trying to save the patients trapped in the hospital will also be compensated, Ms. Banerjee said: “Everyone who has been killed in the accident will get the compensation.”
She added that it had also been decided that the neighbourhood boys who risked their lives to join the rescue mission would be given recognition. “At the police event tomorrow [Tuesday], we will recognise the efforts put in by 56 local youths,” she said.
On measures being taken to prevent the recurrence of such tragedies, Ms. Banerjee said the problem was more in regard to multi-storied hospitals. Whether a few more hospitals were facing the possibility of their licences being cancelled, as was the case with the affected unit at AMRI, she said this could be done only following investigations into specific complaints.
Meanwhile, there was confusion over the death toll in the hospital fire. Ms. Banerjee said that according to government records it stood at 90 but, in a press release issued by AMRI Hospitals on the evening of December 10, the figure cited was 91.
Since the press release was issued, two more persons who had to be shifted from the hospital in the wake of the fire died — both on Sunday — in two separate hospitals. One of the persons died of natural causes, according to the hospital authorities.
Another person died during the day.
Ms. Banerjee said the State had still not named a judge to begin the judicial enquiry announced on Saturday, as it was still searching for the right man. “We want the truth to come out. The person handling the probe should be a strong man,” she said, adding that as per a Supreme Court direction a sitting judge could not be appointed.
On measures being taken to tone up the fire services department, she said there was no disaster management system in place.
