Cuttack Collector Sushant Mohapatra on Tuesday submitted to the State Government the inquiry report pertaining to last week’s chlorine gas leak at the SCB Medical College Hospital campus. The Collector had formed a six-member team headed by ADM Raghuram Aiyer to probe into the disaster, in which over 40 persons, including medical college students and fire brigade personnel, were taken ill after coming in contact with the pungent substance. “The report was submitted to the Secretary of the Urban Development Department,” the Collector said, adding that the report is very exhaustive covering all aspects of the terms of reference.
The terms of reference were to find out the cause of the gas leak, health hazard or human casualty if any, laxity on any government official and responsibility to be fixed thereon and measures to arrest any such incidents in future.
Although the findings of the report are not made public yet, sources said the probe team found laxity caused by Public Health Department (PHD) staffs in storing the gas cylinders in the storeroom for more than five years without any maintenance. Accordingly, responsibility has been fixed on the erring staffs and the Government has been requested to take appropriate action against them as per law.