The Justice Tapan Mukherjee Commission report on AMRI Hospital fire tragedy was tabled in the state Assembly on Wednesday. Chandrima Bhattacharya, the minister of state for health told the house, "We are tabling the report and a memorandum of action taken in respect of the final report of the commission."
The Tapan Mukherjee Commission was set up soon after the tragedy occurred. The tragedy took the lives of 90 innocent patients on December 9, 2011. The government of West Bengal received the official report from the Commission on May 2017. The opposition leaders such as Sujan Chakraborty criticized the government and raised questions on the delay in tabling the Commission's report. While addressing the assembly he said, "Why this delay in tabling the judicial commission's report? Nabanna got it a year back but it has been made public only today. The government owes an answer to the Assembly on the delay."
By defending the stand of the government in this matter, the minister of state health, Chandrima Bhattacharya told media, "There is no deadline for tabling the report of any inquiry commission in the Assembly. The state government was not sitting on the commission's report. We have already initiated legal actions in accordance with the recommendations of the report."
The tabled report clearly identified the causes of the man-made disaster that snatched the lives of many innocent people. The report revealed that the upper basement of the hospital was used as a makeshift godown and was stuffed with highly flammable materials that was actually meant for car parking. The left-front government raised alarm about the fire safety arrangements of the hospital, but the higher management of AMRI turned a deaf ear.
The Commission's report recommended an ex gratia of Rs 3 lakh to be paid to the family members of the deceased. They also recommended strict legal actions against all the directors of the hospital for flouting fire safety norms. Kolkata Police had filed a charge sheet before the third additional district and session judge of Alipore Court against 16 persons including 12 members of the Board of Directors of the hospital.
The 214-page report has detailed testimony of all the eyewitnesses and has the forensic report to support the conclusion drawn by the Commission.
