BHUBANESWAR: Even as the Opposition BJD and Congress members continued to disrupt proceedings of the Assembly demanding resignation of Health minister Mukesh Mahaling over the fire mishap in SCB Medical College and Hospital which claimed 12 lives recently, leader of Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday said the agitation will continue in and outside the House till he quits.
Naveen launched a sharp attack on the Centre over the incident, stating that no Union minister had visited the SCB MCH even nine days after it occurred.
“I find it shocking that even after nine days of the tragic deaths of patients at SCB, not a single Union minister has visited the hospital in Cuttack. During the tragedy at a private medical college in Bhubaneswar during our tenure, several Union ministers had visited the hospital. You can compare for yourself their concern for the people of Odisha and those who died in the latest blaze,” he told mediapersons.
Members of the BJD and Congress created a ruckus as soon as the House assembled for the day at 10.30 am, trooping into the well with placards and raising slogans against the government. Speaker Surama Padhy adjourned the House till 11.30 am after attempts to restore order failed. There was a commotion when some women BJD MLAs tried to approach the podium but were stopped by marshals.
Countering the Opposition’s charges, BJP member Ashok Mohanty criticised the previous BJD government for failing to upgrade fire safety infrastructure at the hospital during its long tenure, terming the incident a result of “years of neglect”.
Meanwhile, the BJD claimed the party has lodged an FIR at the Mangalabag police station in Cuttack against Mahaling and former hospital superintendent Dr Gautam Satapathy for gross criminal negligence in the fire incident resulting in tragic loss of lives.