Taking serious note of the forest fire in the Kurangani hills in Theni district which claimed 11 lives, the State government has appointed senior IAS officer Atulya Misra as the Enquiry Officer to conduct a probe into the incident and submit a report within two months.
“There was an unfortunate incident of forest fire at the Kottagudi Reserve Forest in Theni district on March 11, 2018, leading to the loss of several innocent lives. The circumstances leading to this incident, as well as [the conduct of] trekking activity without obtaining the permission of the Forest department in a forest fire-prone area, need to be probed in detail so as to enable the government to take further action on the matter,” stated a government order issued by the Forest department on Tuesday.
Mr. Misra, also the Secretary of the Department of Revenue and Disaster Management, would conduct a probe into the tragedy and ascertain the circumstances that led to it.
According to the Terms of Reference framed by the department, the officer would probe and further review the procedures adopted by the Forest department for the regulation of / grant of permission for trekking in reserved forest areas, and look into the role of trek organisers and forest officials, as well as lapses on their part, if any.
3 victims still critical
Three victims of the Kurangani forest fire tragedy continue to battle for their lives at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai.
Kannan, 30, Sivasankari, 25, Devi, 26, and Anuvidhya, 25, are being treated in the special burns ward of the GRH. Sai Vasumathi, 26, was shifted to the Grace Kennett Foundation late on Tuesday night. Hospital Dean Dr. D. Maruthupandian said that renal functions were deteriorating in Anuvidhya, daughter of Muthumalai, who sustained 90% burns. The urine output had reduced and the levels of waste components like urea and creatinine were rising in her bloodstream, he said, adding, “We have raised the level of prescribed antibiotics and have begun a temporary haemodialysis to purify the blood in the system.”
Professor (Medicine) R. Balaji Nathan said that Kannan,, son of Giri, who sustained 70% burn injuries, was still on ventilator support. “He is suffering from kidney-related problems. These are usually the complication that burn victims face,” he said, adding that the other two victims were in a stable condition. S. Sakthikala, 40, with 99% thermal burns, was battling for life at the Grace Kennett Foundation, he said.
Entry restricted
On Tuesday, a scuffle ensued between hospital staff and the parents of the victims, as the latter were unhappy with politicians visiting the special burns ward.
“We have restricted the entry. Even the entry of attenders inside the burns ward has been restricted because we do not want infections to spread. A sterile environment needs to be maintained,” the Dean said.
A relative, who did not wish to be named, said, “If politicians want to come, they should meet us and express their condolences and leave. Why should they visit the burns ward? Should they not be sensitive to the situation?”
“From the third day onwards, all doctors must be extra cautious. The spread of bacteria must be limited,” said Dr. Balaji Nathan.
Meanwhile, the Theni police on Wednesday picked up D. Prabhu of Chennimalai, who organised the trekking expedition of the 12-member team from Erode and Tirupur districts, for questioning.
(With inputs from Sanjana Ganesh and Syed Muthahar Saqaf)
