The Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) issued a notice to the Shine Children's Hospital in LB Nagar in the city after a fire that broke out at the premises killed a four-month-old child and injured five others on Monday.
The Directorate of Enforcement, Vigilance and Disaster Management (EV&DM) under the GHMC, issued a notice asking the management of the hospital to submit a copy of its sanction plan, a copy of the building occupancy certificate, a copy of the trade license and the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Fire Department and a copy of the property tax paid.
"You are hereby directed to furnish the above documents for verification within 3 days from the date of receipt of this notice, failing which action will be initiated in accordance with the rules and bye-laws framed under the GHMC Act 1955, read with AP Municipal Corporation Act 1994," the notice states.
Meanwhile, it was also reported that there was no emergency fire exit staircase at the hospital.
The fire broke out in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) on the fourth floor of the hospital in the early hours of the day. Six infants, who were in incubators, sustained burn injuries. One of the infants died, while the others were shifted to a nearby hospital for treatment.
Fire Department personnel, who rushed to douse the flames, broke open glass panes to rescue the children from the NICU.
Police suspect short circuit to be the cause of the fire. Taking a serious note of the incident, the Telangana government has ordered a probe. Health Minister Etela Rajender directed officials to probe the incident and submit a report within 24 hours.
Parents of the children alleged that the negligence by the hospital administration led to the fire. They demanded stern action against the hospital management. Local legislator Sudheer Reddy visited the hospital and sought a thorough probe into the incident.
The incident has also forced the state government to act against buildings without adequate fire safety in Hyderabad, with EV&DM Director Vishwajit Kampati stating that similar notices would be issued to 1,600 hospitals over the next week, adding that those who do not comply with the rules will be shut down.