2011 AMRI hospital fire: Applied for NoC to reopen building, says hospital; got no such request, says fire dept

The hospital comprises of three buildings, the main and two annexes. After the fire broke out on December 9, 2011, Annexe-1, which housed the in-patient department, was sealed by the police. In 2014, the hospital managed to get a licence under the Clinical Establishment Act to admit patients to its main unit and Annexe-2. The licence was given for 202 beds. An NOC from the fire department is crucial for the group to begin the process of applying for several licences from the health department, civic authorities and other permissions to reopen Annexe-1. “The process is time-consuming, but we are hopeful that in the near future, we will start our operations from Annexe-1,” said an official from the AMRI Group.

Apprehending that the ongoing trial against 16 accused in the case might pose as an obstacle in their applications, the group had filed a petition in the Alipore court in 2015 to obtain a no-objection order. “We had submitted a petition, which the court rejected,” said advocate Salim Rehman.

Fire department officials said they haven’t been approached by AMRI authorities. “No question of inspecting the building arises. We have just received an application seeking a temporary electric connection to clean the premises and we are looking into it,” a fire department official told Express.

A senior AMRI official said, “Once the group gets an NOC from the fire department, which will take time, we will move ahead with an application for a clinical establishment licence from the health department and other statutory bodies.” Barua said, “We will use a part of it (Annexe-1) as an administrative department. It will be restricted for outdoor services. We may start diagnostic centres and use the conference rooms at Annexe-1.”