The Maharashtra government has commenced the State-wide inspection of electrical systems and lifts installed in public and private Covid hospitals to prevent fires due to short circuits and faulty electrical set-up, said a press statement issued by the Energy Department on Thursday.

Following a series of fires at Covid hospitals, State Energy Minister, Nitin Raut, has ordered electrical safety and technical inspection audit. All electrical and lift inspectors in the State have been asked to complete the process as soon as possible. A Standard Operating Procedure has also been issued. While conducting the audit, Raut has also instructed to take the local bodies and the District Disaster Management Committee into confidence.

Hospitals are overburdened uue to the pandemic and this has created pressure on electric equipment. The continuous load on electric equipment may lead to mishapsdue to short-circuits. If due precautions are taken, mishaps and untoward incidents can be prevented, said Raut in the statement.

Chief Electrical Inspector, Dinesh Khonde, sent a letter to all electrical inspectors in the State on April 28, giving detailed instructions on how to carry out the audit. He also instructed to complete the inspection of hospitals and lifts in the next 10 days.

The audit findings would be communicated to the hospital authorities for compliance. The detailed audit reports would then be prepared and local Disaster Management Authority will also be apprised.

The purpose of the inspection is not to harass anyone or to target any hospital, but to ensure the safety of the patients. Considering the pandemic, some hospitals have increased its admission capacity, which is likely to increase power consumption, subsequently causing extra load on the system, said Khonde in the statement.

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