Kerala CM Vijayan vows stricter precautions to prevent Kottayam medical college-like incidents

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on Friday said his government will strengthen all precautionary measures to ensure that ''unfortunate and painful'' incidents, like the death of a woman in the collapse of a portion of Kottayam Medical College, do not recur.

The CM made the statement a day after visiting the medical college, where the collapse of a building section led to the death of 52-year-old Bindu, a mother of two, and left three others injured.

He also assured that appropriate assistance would be provided to Bindu's family and expressed his condolences.

Vijayan added that the government would further strengthen the health sector in the state.

His statement came amid intense criticism from the Congress-led UDF opposition and the BJP over the state of healthcare in Kerala, with both parties demanding the resignation of Health Minister Veena George.

While the Congress claimed Bindu's death was an ''institutional murder,'' the BJP alleged it was an ''honour killing''.

Both parties also claimed that Bindu died due to delays in the search and rescue operation following the incident.

They further accused ministers V N Vasavan and Veena George of ''dereliction of duty and criminal negligence'' for visiting the site after the incident, claiming their presence delayed rescue efforts.

Protests were held across the state by both parties and their affiliated groups, demanding George's resignation.

Earlier in the day, Minister Vasavan rejected allegations of delay, stating that he had immediately directed fire force personnel to bring an excavator to clear debris and search for those trapped.

He claimed that time was lost in creating a pathway for the excavator to access the collapsed portion of the building.

The toilet complex adjacent to wards 10, 11, and 14 at Kottayam Government Medical College collapsed on Thursday while the hospital was in the process of shifting operations to a newly constructed surgical block.

Bindu, a resident of Thalayolaparambu in Kottayam district, was pulled from the debris more than two hours after the incident and was declared dead.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)