Bhubaneswar: The Opposition in Odisha stepped up its demand for the resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling over the deadly blaze at Cuttack’s SCB Medical College and Hospital that claimed 13 lives on March 16.
MLAs of Biju Janata Dal (BJD), Congress and CPM met Governor Hari Babu Kambhampati at Lok Bhawan here and submitted a memorandum to press for the Health Minister’s ouster.
The Opposition MLAs pleaded for the immediate resignation or removal of Mahaling and sought a compensation of Rs 1 crore to every deceased patient’s family.
They also demanded that government jobs be provided to one member of every affected family, as well as a judicial probe led by a sitting or retire
d judge of Orissa High Court.
The Opposition legislators further demanded immediate arrest of the guilty and stringent legal action against them.
“The incident, which led to the unfortunate death of 13 patients and caused severe distress to several others, has deeply shocked the people of Odisha. The tragedy raises grave concerns regarding safety standards, administrative accountability and the overall condition of public healthcare infrastructure in the state,” read the memorandum.
The incident has caused irreparable loss to the affected families and raised serious apprehensions among the public regarding safety in government healthcare institutions, they stated. “Therefore, we earnestly request your kind intervention to ensure justice for the victims, accountability of those responsible and urgent corrective measures to prevent recurrence of such tragedies,” the memorandum added.
Proceedings in the Odisha Assembly had to be adjourned for the 10th consecutive working day as the Opposition continued to protest the tragic incident at SCB Medical College and Hospital a fortnight ago.