The incidents of frequent fires at various warehouses of Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) have raised doubts whether these were carried out with ulterior motives. Such suspicion arose in the  backdrop of a series of alleged corruption in  the purchase made by the KMSCL which supplies drugs and equipment to government hospitals in the state.

Three fire mishaps occurred  in various warehouses of the KMSCL in a gap of 10 days. KMSCL hogged headlines first on May 18 when its warehouse in Kollam caught fire. Five days later, yet another fire broke out at KMSCL’s warehouse at KINFRA Park at Kazhakootam in Thiruvananthapuram, which killed a Fire and Rescue Services personnel, when a portion of the warehouse fell on him.

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The third fire incident happened  on Friday night at KMSCL’s Alappuzha warehouse attached to Vandanam Medical College allegedly due to bleaching powder that was stocked in large quantities.

The fire mishaps that occurred in close proximity have  become a major embarrassment to the state government. The KMSCL authorities said that the fire occurred due to bleaching powder. Now, the KMSCL has asked the companies which had supplied excess bleaching powder to take back the stock.

The Opposition has accused the KMSCL of stocking up medicines and equipment during the Covid-19  pandemic so as to get commission.

The Congress has alleged that the mishaps that occurred in close proximity were  a ploy to destroy the evidence at a time when a Lokayukta probe is ongoing against the KMSCL. Congress leaders allege that there is sabotage behind these incidents. They alleged that hundreds of crores worth of corruption took place in procurements by KMSCL during COVID-19.

“Fire incidents have become a routine affair under the LDF government. When the gold smuggling case and AI camera scam happened, the offices concerned in the Secretariat had witnessed fire accidents,” Opposition leader VD Satheesan said.

KPCC president K Sudhakaran said a CBI probe is necessary as repeated instances of fire mishaps have been happening at Brahmapuram waste treatment plant, secretariat and KMSCL warehouses.

Fire broke out at Brahmapuram plant when  corruption charges were levelled against the project, fires  broke out in the warehouses of the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL). Earlier, there was also a fire at the secretariat under mysterious circumstances, he said.