The government has set up a committee to look into the incident, whose report is being expected by the middle of next week. The committee will suggest ways to prevent occurrence of such mishaps in the future.

The committee, comprising the director of Forensic Science Laboratory, additional director of Health Services, Commissioner of Electricity, and AMC's additional city engineer (electrical) will probe why there was no electrical circuit breaker installed at the Shardaben Hospital.

It will also ascertain the exact cause of the short circuit; whether the electric power supply equipment was overloaded, b) whether it was a faulty wire connection responsible for the short circuit, c) was there a loose connection of wires, or, d) was there leakage of current.

According to Municipal Commissioner I P Gautam the main issue is whether the electric wiring was done properly or not. Forensic experts have taken away the machines for further probe. Sources in the fire department say that the hospitals in the city must have in-built fire safety mechanism; installation of mere fire extinguishers won't do, they add.

Experts have opined that the AMC must answer questions regarding the number of high-rise hospitals in the city and how many of them have got NOC from the fire department, and in the case of low-rise hospitals, what provisions they have taken for its safety. They said the AMC cannot escape using legal loopholes that the provisions applying to high-rise structures do not apply to low-rise hospitals.

According to sources in fire department, V S Hospital, Shardaben Hospital, Nagri Hospital, TB Hospital, L G Hospital, some Blocks and Trauma Unit of Civil Hospital, B J Medical College and its hostels, UN Mehta Heart Hospital, Kidney Hospital and M P Shah Cancer Hospital do not have adequate fire safety mechanisms installed within their premises.