Fire at KGMU: No official documents burnt, say authorities
LUCKNOW: A fire, reportedly due to a short circuit, broke out in the office of the assistant registrar of the KGMU on Sunday morning, damaging several items, said university authorities.
As the office was located close to the wards, smoke was first seen by attendants who informed the staff, after which police and fire tenders were called in. Earlier, the staff had tried dousing the flames with the help of fire extinguishers in the building.
“Fire broke out at around 11 am in the office of Dr Anit Parihar. Eight fire extinguishers were used but only partial success was achieved. Later, two fire tenders reached the spot and controlled the fire,” said KGMU spokesperson Dr Santosh Kumar. He said there was loss of furniture, computers and books. “All books, thesis, furniture and computers were gutted,” he said.
The smoke filled the lobby and also entered the wards. Some attendants took their patients out of the wards, anticipating that the fire might spread further. The location of the fire has raised eyebrows too, as recently, charges of anomalies in appointments at the MU had been pointed out.
A former BJP MLA had written to the principal secretary, medical education, seeking his attention on the alleged anomalies. Allegations were levelled at the staff working in the administrative wing that they had submitted false documents to get jobs. However, varsity authorities denied that any official documents were burnt in the incident.
This is not the first time that a short circuit-triggered fire broke out on the KGMU campus. Heavy equipment such as ACs, freezers and other diagnostic machines, if installed without load checking, pose threat of short circuit.