ANGUL: The Talcher Medical College Kriyanusthan Committee has threatened to impose a 48-hour economic blockade from November 15 to protest the state government’s alleged failure in operationalising the Talcher Medical College and Hospital (MCH) as per its commitment. A memorandum to this effect was submitted to Talcher sub-collector Manoj Tripathy on Thursday.
Sources said the state government had announced to start of the medical college by October 1 this year. However, its reported failure to do so has garnered widespread resentment among the people of the district.
Convenor of the committee Keshav Bhutia said they will paralyse the Talcher industrial belt and stop production and despatch of coal for 48 hours if the state government fails to start the hospital by November 15.
“It is high time people of Talcher protest the apathy of the state government in making the medical college operational,” he added. Talcher sub-collector Manoj Tripathy was, meanwhile, unavailable for a comment.
Notably, the state government in collaboration with MCL had decided to start the Talcher MCH, the construction work of which was completed five years back. The state government had recently appointed a doctor Sudarma Patra as the superintendent of the hospital and has also decided to rope in doctors and paramedical staff of MCL at the health facility but the decision is being strongly resented by the workers at the company.