Bhubaneswar: Odisha Government ordered a high-level inquiry by Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) into the firecracker explosion incident in Puri, in which three persons died and 33 others were injured.
The Chief Minister has asked Additional Chief Secretary, Revenue and Disaster Management Department and Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) Satyabrata Sahu to investigate the tragic incident.
The CM has also announced ex-gratia assistance of Rs 4 lakh for the next of kin of those who died in the incident.
Shri Patnaik visited a private hospital here to meet the injured persons on Thursday morning. He talked to doctors of the health facility and advised them to provide best treatment to the injured patients. Later, the Chief Minister met the families of the injured and wished them a speedy recovery.
According to sources, one boy succumbed to his injuries at SCB Medical College in Cuttack and two others died while undergoing treatment in private hospitals in Bhubaneswar.
All patients are being provided with the best possible treatment, care and support. The entire cost of treatment is borne by the Government including the cost of treatment in private hospitals.
Chief Secretary Pradeep Kumar Jena, ACS & SRC Satyabrata Sahu Khurda Collector Chanchal Rana and Health Secretary Shalini Pandit visited different hospitals late Wednesday night to supervise the treatment of the injured people.
Out of 36 patients admitted to different hospitals, 6 are discharged after treatment, 3 declared dead and 27 under treatment, Jena said.
The Chief Secretary along with SRC also visited Puri this morning and discussed with the 3 patients & treating doctors & staff about treatment. Treatment is going on well and are recovering well. Also visited the fire accident site, discussed with local people & firefighters, Jena said on X.
The injured people were admitted to various private and government hospitals in Puri, Bhubaneswar and Cuttack, the Health Secretary said.
“Several teams of doctors are trying their best to save the lives of the injured people. As the first 48-hour period is critical for such cases, we are monitoring their health condition,” Shrimati Pandit told reporters this morning.
She said that the state government is bearing the treatment cost of all those injured in the accident.
A group of devotees were celebrating the festival with crackers. Suddenly, a splinter from the burning crackers struck the heap, leading to the explosion. The Puri police registered a case and started investigation into the incident as no permission was given to burst firecrackers in the festival, police sources said.