BHUBANESWAR: Coming under all-round pressure following the fire mishap at Bhubaneswar's Sum Hospital, Odisha minister of state for health and family welfare Atanu Sabysachi Nayak resigned on Friday accepting moral responsibility for the tragedy that has claimed 25 lives.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik said he has forwarded the minister's resignation to governor S C Jamir for acceptance. "Nayak sent me his letter of resignation. He has resigned on moral grounds and I have accepted it. I have forwarded it
to the governor for his acceptance," Naveen told mediapersons at the Secretariat here.
Atanu Sabyashachi Nayak's portfolio has been given to finance minister Pradip Amat; his information and public relations portfolio has been allotted to forest and environment minister Bikram Keshari Arukha.
Atanu Nayak is the first minister to have resigned in the fourth term of Naveen patnaik's BJD government in Odisha.
Opposition political parties in the state welcomed the resignation of Nayak, but said he has been made a scapegoat. "Why is the chief minister not resigning," asked the leader of the opposition Narasingh Mishra. "Naveen Patnaik should be inspired by the step taken by his junior colleague."
He said the health and home (fire services) departments were both responsible for the mishap. "So how can the minister of one department resign and the minister of another continue in his office," he said, and aded that the chief minister is guilty of several omissions as a result of which fire safety guidelines were not complied with by the hospital.
Odisha BJP president Basant Panda also demand the resignation of the chief minister. "The chief minister should take moral responsibility for the fire mishap and follow Nayak's step," he said.
Odisha's health department has been in the news in recent months over several issues, starting from the Dana
Majhi incident in Kalahandi to the spread of Japanese encephalitis in Malkangiri which exposed the lack of adequate health infrastructure at the district level.