Bhubaneswar: A delegation of the Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee on Monday blamed administrative negligence and government apathy for the deaths of 10 patients in the recent fire incident at the Trauma Care ICU of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack, demanding compensation of ₹1 crore for each bereaved family and strict action against responsible officials.
The high-level Congress delegation visited the hospital in the forenoon to inspect the fire-affected site and later went to the postmortem centre to view the bodies of the deceased. The leaders also met grieving family members and expressed condolences over the tragic loss of lives.
Addressing a press conference after the visit, the delegation alleged that the incident was the result of administrative negligence, managerial lapses and “governmental indifference.” They urged the state government to immediately provide financial assistance of ₹1 crore to each victim’s family and ensure employment for one member of every affected household.
The Congress leaders also demanded departmental action against officials responsible for the incident, stating that such lapses in a premier healthcare institution were unacceptable.
The delegation further asserted that SCB Medical College and Hospital remains the most trusted healthcare facility for people across Odisha, with thousands of patients from various districts arriving daily for treatment. They alleged that inadequate infrastructure and poor management had contributed to the tragedy.
Raising political accountability over the incident, the Congress demanded that the Health Minister resign on moral grounds. If he fails to do so, they said, the Chief Minister should remove him from the post.
The delegation had been constituted by Odisha PCC president Bhakta Charan Das to assess the situation on the ground and seek accountability. It was led by former Union Minister Srikant Jena.
Other senior leaders present during the visit included former OPCC president Jayadev Jena, former MP Ananta Prasad Sethi, former minister Panchanan Kanungo, and former MLA Rabindra Kumar Mallick, along with several Congress leaders and workers.
The programme was coordinated by Pradipta Kumar Das, president of the Cuttack District Congress Committee.
The Congress leaders also demanded a comprehensive and transparent investigation into the fire incident to fix accountability and prevent such tragedies in the future.
