Bhubaneswar, March 23 Proceedings in the Odisha Assembly were disrupted for the fifth consecutive day on Monday as the opposition BJD and Congress demanded the resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling over the death of 12 patients in the fire at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on March 16.
As soon as the House assembled for the Question Hour at 10.30 am, BJD and Congress MLAs marched into the well of the House, holding placards and shouting slogans. They demanded Mahaling's resignation on moral grounds due to the deaths of patients at the government facility.
The protesting members attempted to reach the Speaker's podium and shouted slogans like "Ram Naam Satya Hai" and "(CM) Mohan Majhi Hai Hai" when Speaker Surama Padhy allowed Law Minister Prithiviraj Harichandan and Health Minister Mahaling to answer certain questions. The ministers' responses were drowned out by the noise.
Unable to manage the House, the Speaker adjourned the proceedings three times until 4 pm. The Speaker also convened an all-party meeting to resolve the issue and restore normalcy in the House.
The fire incident occurred at the trauma care ICU of the state's premier government hospital in Cuttack early on March 16, where at least 12 patients lost their lives and 11 others suffered burn injuries.
BJD member Byomakesh Ray said that the Health Minister must take responsibility and resign, as the fire incident occurred at a state-run facility due to negligence.
"Instead of taking action against the individuals responsible for the fire mishap, the government has been shielding them. Suspending four junior officers and transferring some others is not a proper punishment. It is merely a facade," Ray said.
BJP MLA Irasis Acharya argued that the state government has already taken several measures, such as setting up a judicial commission, engaging a high-level committee to investigate the incident, suspending four officials, and transferring certain officers from key positions.
"The resignation of the minister will not solve the problem, which has remained unresolved since the previous BJD government. They had not taken any measures to prevent fire in the state's premier hospital," Acharya said, alleging that the opposition is politicizing the issue.
Rejecting the BJD's claim that a health minister had resigned under similar circumstances in 2016, BJP MLA Santosh Khatua said, "Why should we follow the BJD? The government will take action only based on the findings of the investigation."
