Will KMSCL warehouse catch fire yet again?

An investigation is underway into the fire that broke out under mysterious circumstances at Kerala Medical Services Corporation warehouses in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram. Many are alleging that these two fire accidents were deliberate attempts by some people to cover up the massive corruption and malpractice in the corporation. Looking at the events, one may feel that there is some truth in these allegations. After the fire breakouts in Kollam and Thiruvananthapuram, a similar fire broke out at KMSCL's warehouse in Alappuzha Vandanam on Thursday. The investigation teams are sure to have a hard time while probing into the series of fires that seem very strange to anyone. The fire broke out at night in all three places. Upon conducting inspections in Kollam and Menamkulam, it was found that none of the corporation's warehouses had any system to prevent fire. There are several reasons to support the allegation that the fire was deliberately set to destroy files and other evidence related to corruption and irregularities.

Along with the supplies kept for hospitals, large amounts of bleaching powder were stored in the warehouses. According to investigators looking into the fire outbreaks, bleaching powder is to blame for the fire. They are claiming that the chemical change that took place in the bleaching powder when the temperature increased led to the sudden ignition. Laboratory tests are still being done to find the truth about this. Even if it is assumed that the fire may have been caused by the careless storage of medicines, other materials and chemicals in warehouses, it must be noted that no such accidents happened before. Several documents, including many related to the massive corruption that has unfolded in the corporation over the past few years, were destroyed in the fire that broke out in Kollam and Menamkulam. The Lokayukta's probe into the irregularities in the purchases made by the corporation is ongoing. Those behind the corruption will naturally want evidence of the corruption not to come out. Such suspicions are reinforced by continuous fire accidents.

Those concerned have come to the conclusion that bleaching powder is the culprit behind the fire at the Vandanam warehouse in Alappuzha. The preliminary assessment is that more than 30,000 kilos of bleaching powder have been destroyed. Medicines and medical equipment were not destroyed as they were stored in another building. After 1 o'clock in the night, a security guard saw the fire spreading in the building and alerted the fire force. As a result, the fire was prevented from spreading. Even after suspecting bleaching powder as the culprit for the fire at the warehouses in Thiruvananthapuram and Kollam, why didn't the authorities take action to keep this item safer? That's where suspicion extends to the horrendous corruption and mismanagement going on in the corporation. If it is established that the fire was caused by bleaching powder, the incidents in Kollam and Menamkulam can be naturalized. Documents exposing corruption will also be destroyed through this. In any case, the corporation may have warehouses in other districts as well. Authorities should take care to avoid fire in those places in the late hours of the night.