Bhubaneswar The Odisha Legislative Assembly was adjourned till 4 pm on Wednesday amid intense protests by Opposition members over a deadly fire at SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack that claimed 12 lives.
As the Assembly convened this morning, BJD and Congress MLA disrupted proceedings from the outset. They stormed the well of the House during Question Hour, chanting slogans and demanding immediate resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling on moral grounds, citing gross negligence in hospital safety standards.
Speaker Surama Padhy attempted to restore order but ultimately adjourned the House due to the unrelenting uproar, first briefly, then till 11.30 am and later till 4 PM.
In a dramatic protest, opposition MLAs staged a symbolic “bier” procession inside the Assembly premises, carrying placards and chanting ‘Ram Naam Satya Hai’ to signify what they called the “death” of the state’s Health department. The demonstration echoed through the complex, provoking strong reactions from the ruling benches.
Also Read: Naveen Patnaik Seeks Health Min’s Scalp, Rs 50 Lakh Ex-Gratia For Lives Lost In SCB Fire
Speaking to reporters, BJD MLA Arun Sahoo alleged complete collapse of the Odisha’s healthcare system under the BJP dispensation. “The Health Department is effectively defunct, having long been in a vegetative state. Twelve patients lost their lives in the tragic fire at the SCB, yet the Health Minister refuses to accept moral responsibility and resign, and those responsible for the inferno face no consequences. Patients across Odisha are suffering, while the Ayushman Bharat scheme lies in utter disarray, reduced to little more than a graveyard of broken promises,” he claimed.
While terming the incident as unfortunate, BJP MLA Manas Dutta criticised the BJD for politicising the tragedy. “The Chief Minister has already ordered a judicial inquiry into the fire mishap, while the Health Minister has issued a statement in the Assembly,” he said, adding that a fact-finding team has visited the hospital and begun its assessment.
The tragedy occurred in the early hours of March 16, when fire, suspected to be caused by an electrical short circuit, engulfed the trauma care ICU around 2.30-3 am. At least 23 patients were evacuated, but seven died on the spot from asphyxiation or burns, with others succumbing later during treatment. Eleven hospital staff members suffered burn injuries while heroically rescuing patients and all are reported to be out of danger.
The Odisha government announced Rs 25 lakh ex-gratia compensation for the victims’ families and set up a judicial commission to probe the circumstances leading to the tragedy amid allegations that the critical alarm devices at the SCB was switched off and hospital staff ignored sparks in the AC duct, shortly before a raging blaze turned three floors of the facility into an inferno.
On Tuesday, all hospitals in the state were directed to ensure that fire safety alert systems remain active at all times. Chief secretary Anu Garg also chaired a high-level meeting to review fire safety protocol in government hospitals and other facilities.
