MARGAO: Six persons, including a woman and a two-month old infant, sustained burn injuries in a fire that engulfed a house late Tuesday evening at the Gandhi market.
The incident triggered an uproar outside the Hospicio after a hospital ambulance carrying three of the injured patients to the Goa Medical College at around 11 pm broke down meters away from the hospital. Frantic efforts by the people to push-start the ambulance went in vain. The incident drew angry reactions from a mob, who demanded action against the hospital authorities.
Tempers ran high at the spot where the ambulance broke down on the main road opposite the Hospicio, with people demanding that the authorities immediately send another ambulance and ensure that the victims reach the GMC on time. Finally, all the three patients were shifted in another ambulance before heading to the GMC, Bambolim.
The fire incident occurred at around 10 pm when the inmates lit the gas stove, only to be burnt by the huge flame. As the fire engulfed the residential house, the flames partially charred a cradle carrying the infant, who is believed to have sustained injuries on the hand. The infant along with two others were later shifted to the GMC, Bambolim as a precautionary measure.
Family sources said that the LPG gas cylinder was found leaking in the morning, and the same was repaired by a technician of a gas agency. Presuming that the technician had plugged the leakage, the inmates lit the stove, only to be burnt by the raging flames.
Margao PI CL Patil told The Goan at the Hospicio that there was no explosion of the gas cylinder, but the injured were burnt by the raging flames. He said that while three of the injured were shifted to the GMC, Bambolim, the remaining three are convalescing at the Hospicio hospital.
Former Chief Minister and Margao MLA Digambar Kamat, former MLA and leader of the Gandhi market vendors Association Babu Azgaonkar, ward Councilor Damodar Shirodkar and a large number of Gandhi market residents rushed to the Hospicio after news of the tragic incident spread in the city.
Kamat took strong exception to the state of affairs of the hospital, pointing to the ageing ambulance being put to use by the government to ferry patients. “this only goes to show the government’s apathy towards the hospital. We do not know when will the government ever do justice for Hospicio and the people of South Goa”, Kamat demanded to know;
Babu Azgaonkar came down heavily on the government and the hospital administration for the sorry state of affairs of the ambulance. “How can a government rely on non-functioning ambulances to ferry patients. If the Health minister cannot keep an ambulance at the hospital, he should not remain in the chair”, he said, while demanding that the government pay attention to the Hospicio hospital.
Margao police personnel were deployed around the Hospicio as a precautionary measure as residents of the Gandhi market kept pouring in at the Hospital to inquire about the injured persons.
