Bengaluru: The three-member Committee appointed by the Karnataka High Court to probe the Chamarajanagar District Hospital tragedy where 24 persons died on the intervening night of May 2 and 3, has given a clean chit to Mysuru Deputy Commissioner (DC) Rohini Sindhuri and has castigated Chamarajanagar DC Dr. M.R. Ravi and said that the latter did not exhibit dynamism. 

“The DC Chamarajanagar has not exhibited the dynamism and leadership qualities expected of a District Head in a dire crisis situation. As Chairman of the District Disaster Management Committee, he has miserably failed to guide and supervise the crisis situation arising out of the extreme demand for oxygen. On the contrary, he has indulged in an unsavoury blame game accusing the Mysuru DC of causing hindrance for oxygen supply without any basis,” it said. 

The Committee noted that though refilling plants on which the Chamarajanagar District Hospital was dependent for oxygen requirements are situated in the revenue district of Mysuru, which comes under the jurisdiction of Mysuru DC, on that basis alone it cannot be said that the DC at Mysuru had any control or regulatory powers over supply of oxygen to other districts or consumers.

The report stated that there was no reference to any alleged hindrance caused by Mysuru DC. “No material is forthcoming from the records in support of the allegation. Accordingly, it is evident that the Mysuru DC has not come in the way of refilling agencies in  Mysuru from refilling the cylinders of any other districts including Chamarajanagar,” the report said.