Amravati: Public Works Department (PWD) will be conducting a separate inquiry into the fire which killed three infants at Special Newborn Care Unit Intensive Care Unit (SNCU) of District Women’s Hospital, guardian minister Chandrashekhar Bawankule announced on Monday.Addressing a news conference after inspecting the hospital, Bawankule said the PWD inquiry was necessitated as the incident is linked to the hospital’s fire audit. The minister said he discussed the matter with PWD minister Shivendraraje Bhosale, following which it was decided to order a separate probe into PWD-related aspects.Bawankule also visited private hospitals where 36 newborns were shifted after the fire. The report of the committee constituted to probe the incident will be released on Sept 1. “Strict action will be taken against those found guilty,” he said.Refuting allegations made by Shiv Sena (UBT) spokesperson Sushma Andhare that Rs 9 crore was not provided through the District Planning Committee (DPC) for works at the hospital, Bawankule clarified that no such proposal was submitted by the district civil surgeon during the current financial year.He said Rs 2.73 crore was provided in 2024-25 and over Rs 3 crore in 2025-26 for fire audit and other related works. “Still, such an incident occurring is a matter of serious concern. It is necessary to ascertain how the funds were utilised,” he said.Bawankule said he has instructed officials to redesign the District Women’s Hospital to equip it with high-quality, world-class facilities for providing flawless healthcare services. “The civil surgeon has been directed to submit a comprehensive proposal,” he said.Rejecting criticism that he delayed his visit to Amravati after the incident, Bawankule said he had been monitoring the situation since the time the incident was reported. “I was in constant touch with the district collector and immediately communicated with chief minister Devendra Fadnavis and health minister Prakash Abitkar, seeking necessary assistance. Abitkar visited Amravati immediately, extended assistance and announced an expert inquiry committee,” he said.Terming the incident as extremely unfortunate, Bawankule said it occurred due to administrative lapses and delay in conducting the fire audit. The govt will take steps to strengthen the health system to ensure such incidents do not recur, he said.Rajya Sabha member Dr Anil Bonde, MLA Ravi Rana and MLC Pravin Pote, district collector Ashish Yerekar and other senior officials were present at the news conference.
