Cuttack, June 2: Orissa High Court today directed the state government to set up a fire station at SCB Medical College and Hospital. The court also asked the government to ensure at the earliest adoption of fire safety measures with installation of advanced fire safety and fire fighting equipment in all the building's of the health care facility.

The court said: "The state government ought to wake up from slumber." The court expressed shock that there was no fire alarm system and fire-fighting equipment at the premier government-run hospital even though four fire mishaps had already taken place in various departments of it since 2012.

The vacation court was hearing a PIL on the fire at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, which it had suo motu registered yesterday. The court also expected the state government to set up a fire station at the two other state-run medical college-cum-hospitals - MKCG in Berhampur and VSS in Burla.

The vacation bench of Justice Indrajit Mahanty and Justice Sangam Kumar Sahoo directed the state government to appoint a fire officer for the proposed fire station on SCB premises.

A fire station has a fire tender, a water pumping vehicle, 10 firemen, two drivers, two havildars and an officer. At present, the city has three fire stations - at Buxi Bazaar, Chauliaganj and Markatnagar.

The court expected installation of a centralised control mechanism at the fire station after installation of the alarm system in all buildings where various departments with indoor wards and intensive care units were functioning. The court said it would monitor audit of all old and new electric wirings and functioning of electric equipment. It also directed the general electrical department's executive engineer in charge of SCB Medical College and Hospital to submit a report within four weeks.

The inspection report was called for after general electrical department's executive engineer Dipak Kumar Bhuyan, while replying to a query from the court, said that the fire that originated in a changing room at the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at SCB on Tuesday was caused by "thermal heating or overheating of the compressor due to continuous functioning of the air conditioner".

The bench expressed surprise that the hospital authorities were making do with such a large number of individual air conditioners instead of installing a centralised air-conditioning system.

Apart from Bhuyan, hospital superintendent P.C. Rath, cardiology department head Satya Routray and director general (fire services) Binoy Behera were present in pursuance of a court direction.

Answering the court's query, Behera said the condition in 10 departments had been examined and a report recommending fire safety measures submitted to the SCB in January. Rath pleaded before the court that the government was yet to release funds for a fire alarm system and fire fighting equipment.