Mumbai hospital fire: Labour ministry announces ex-gratia for victims after blaze kills 9, including two-month-old baby

Union Minister of State (independent charge) for labour and employment Santosh Kumar Gangwar on Tuesday announced a compensation of Rs 10 lakh each for families of those killed in the fire accident at Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Kamgar Hospital in Mumbai’s Andheri on Monday. According to The Times of India, Rs 2 lakh each was offered to the families of those who sustained critical injuries and one lakh each for those with minor injuries. [caption id=“attachment_5753621” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Ten fire tenders were pressed into service and the firemen are making efforts to douse the blaze in ESCI hospital in Andheri, Mumbai. Image credit: Twitter/@ANI[/caption] On Monday, six  people died and 147 were injured  after a level-3 fire broke out at the hospital. The toll rose to nine, including a two-month-old baby, on Tuesday as three more people succumbed to their injuries. Of the 147 injured, 27 people are reportedly in a critical state,  The Times of India reported. Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the incident following reports of inadequacies and negligence on part of the civic hospital. “Devendra Fadnavis spoke to Narendra Modi and UnionMinister JP Nadda about it. The chief minister expressed grief over loss of lives and prayed for speedy recovery of the injured and assured that all required assistance will be given,” the chief minister’s office tweeted. On Tuesday, the hospital staff staged a protest against the alleged inadequate facilities at the hospital. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued a notice to the Maharashtra government and the Union Labour Ministry later on Tuesday. The commission also asked for a detailed report within four weeks, including action taken against the guilty, if any, an official statement said. In its statement, the NHRC said it had observed that the possibility of negligence by the hospital administration could not be ruled out in the incident. “Hence, a notice was issued to the chief secretary of the government of Maharashtra, calling for a detailed report, including the outcome of the probe reportedly mentioned by the city mayor,” it said. With inputs from PTI