UP hospital fire: Dy CM orders action over 'VIP welcome'

Not amused by some markings made on the road with lime powder before he reached Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday asked the district magistrate to take action against the person who got the work done.

IMAGE: Workers make marks on the road with lime powder outside Maharani Laxmi Bai Medical College in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh. Photograph: @INCIndia/X

Pathak along with principal secretary of health department arrived in Jhansi after the death of at least 10 children in a fire that engulfed the children's ward of the medical college.

In a video doing the rounds on social media, some workers are seen making marks on the road with lime powder.

This is a practice followed during some VIP movement.

In a video message, Pathak said, "Before I reached Jhansi Medical College, some person was laying lime powder on the roadside, which is very sad. I condemn this. And, I would ask the District Magistrate to identify the person, who got the work done, and take strong action against him. I will never accept this."

A statement from the Uttar Pradesh government said as soon as information about the incident was received, Adityanath sent Pathak and the principal health secretary to the spot.

Sixteen children were injured in the tragic incident and were battling for life.

District Magistrate Avinash Kumar said the fire broke out around 10.45 pm on Friday in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), possibly due to an electrical short circuit.

The children who were in the outer part of the NICU were rescued, along with some of those who were in the interior part.

The state-run medical college started services in 1968 and is one of the largest government hospitals in the Bundelkhand region of Uttar Pradesh.