Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has directed the KSEB to examine a demand for exempting the Medical College campus from power cuts and submit a report within three weeks.

Commission chairperson Justice Alexander Thomas issued the direction to the Chief Engineer of the Kerala State Electricity Board, following a complaint seeking uninterrupted power supply to the campus and its surrounding areas, the panel said in a statement on Thursday.

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The campus houses several major healthcare institutions, including the Government Medical College Hospital, Regional Cancer Centre, Sree Avittom Thirunal Hospital and Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology.

The intervention comes amid frequent power outages in the state in recent days, the commission said in the statement.

The complaint, filed by public worker PK Raju, said power supply in the Medical College area was being disrupted three to four times a day.

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It pointed out that hundreds of lodges function in the vicinity, where patients undergoing treatment and their relatives stay.

The complainant said the frequent outages were causing difficulties to patients and attendants, and sought exemption of the Medical College campus and surrounding areas from power cuts, the commission said.

The complaint claimed that the five hospitals on the campus together have around 50,000 beds.

The commission will consider the matter further after receiving the KSEB's report, the statement said. PTI