Bhubaneswar: The Odisha government has extended by another two months the tenure of the one-member judicial commission constituted to probe the devastating fire at the Trauma Care Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of SCB Medical College and Hospital in Kataka, which claimed 10 lives in March this year.
According to a fresh notification issued by the Home (Special) Department, the commission headed by retired District Judge Lakshmidhar Biswal has been directed to submit its report by September 15, 2026. The previous deadline for submission of the report was July 15.
The notification stated that the inquiry has not yet been completed, necessitating a further extension of the commission’s tenure. This is the second extension granted to the commission since its constitution following the incident.
A major fire had broken out in the Trauma Care ICU of SCB Medical College and Hospital on March 16, 2026, resulting in the deaths of 10 patients undergoing treatment. The incident triggered widespread concern across Odisha over fire safety standards in government healthcare institutions.
On the day of the tragedy, the state government constituted a judicial commission under retired District Judge Lakshmidhar Biswal to investigate the cause of the fire, examine possible lapses in safety measures, fix accountability for any negligence in hospital management, and ascertain all circumstances leading to the incident.
The commission was initially mandated to submit its findings within 60 days. As the inquiry remained incomplete, the government first extended its tenure until July 15, 2026. With the investigation still underway, the deadline has now been further extended to September 15.
The commission is expected to identify the cause of the fire, determine whether any negligence or administrative lapses contributed to the tragedy, recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in government hospitals, and suggest improvements to fire and patient safety systems.
