Invoking the provisions of the Disaster Management Act (DMA), the District Collector has ordered the closure of the building of the KMCT Medical College in Mukkom municipality for not complying with the fire safety norms.
In his capacity as the chairman of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Collector N. Prasanth issued directives to the secretary, Mukkom municipality; Deputy Superintendent of Police, Thamarassery, and Assistant Divisional Officer, Department of Fire and Rescue Service, to shut down the building. This was on the basis of the Section 30 (2) v, xi, xi, xii, [measures for the purpose of disaster management in the district in accordance with the guidelines laid down by the National Authority and State Authority] Section 33 [measures for the prevention or mitigation of disaster] and Section 34 (c) [for the purpose of assisting, protecting or providing relief to the community in response to any threatening disaster situation] of the DMA.
The Collector had relied upon the report of the Assistant Divisional Officer, Fire and Rescue Services, who had on May 17 asked the college management to rectify the defects in connection with fire safety.
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However, the management had not rectified many of the defects mentioned in the report even after two months. “The building is still unsafe in fire protection point of view. It is convinced that the parties have violated safety rules and a disaster is impending if the safety norms are not complied with immediately,” Mr. Prasanth said.
“The recent fire in the ICU and dialysis ward of SUM hospital in Bhubaneswar, Odisha that left 20 patients dead and another 105 injured is a pointer,” he said.
The building would remain closed “till the compliance of the directions issued by the Assistant Divisional Officer, Fire and Rescue Services.”
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Reacting to the development, the KMCT Medical College Principal Lathi Nair said they had received an earlier order of the Collector and steps were being taken to rectify the defects. “However, the process will take some time. We have rectified the situation at the college and defects are being set right at the hospital,” she said.