Allahabad HC orders status report on fire safety violations by private hospitals

Meerut: The Allahabad High Court has ordered the listing of an affidavit detailing the status of private hospitals violating fire safety regulations in 2020, following a PIL filed by Aam Aadmi Party Meerut district president Ankush Chaudhary.Chaudhary told TOI on Tuesday, "In 2020, nearly 350 private hospitals were operating in Meerut, of which 250 were registered with the chief medical officer (CMO). After filing an RTI, I found that in 2019, only eight hospitals had fire NOCs, and by the following year, that number had dropped to four. Based on that RTI response and other facts, I filed a PIL in the High Court.""We have objected, as no action has been taken against the hospital buildings. The state govt's counsel requested time to file a supplementary counter-affidavit with the current status of the violating buildings," Advocate Sunil added. The next hearing is scheduled for Jan 22, 2025.CMO Meerut Ashok Kataria said, "So far, no official document has been shared with me by the court or state govt. However, we continue to take action against violating hospitals. Of the 319 registered hospitals, 13 have had their licenses revoked for various reasons, leaving 306 operational."