Bhubaneswar, March 19 – The Odisha Assembly continued to witness massive protests by members of the opposition, including those from the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) and the Congress, for the third consecutive day. They were demanding the resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling over the tragic fire accident at the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack on March 16.
Opposition MLAs, holding placards and banners, raised anti-government slogans near the Speaker's podium when the House proceedings began on Thursday.
After just a few minutes of Question Hour proceedings, the Speaker was forced to adjourn the House until 11:30 a.m. due to the widespread chaos. Members of the BJD and Congress intensified their protests during Zero Hour and continued to disrupt the House proceedings.
Speaker Padhy later convened an all-party meeting to resolve the impasse and ensure the smooth functioning of the House. However, the all-party meeting also failed to yield any positive outcomes.
Defending the continued disruptions in the Odisha Assembly, BJD MLA Sarada Prasanna Jena said on Thursday that the opposition would continue its protest until accountability is established for the SCB Medical College and Hospital fire tragedy.
Jena alleged that the Assembly has been non-functional for the past three days as the opposition continues to press for action, accusing the government of failing to adequately respond to the incident that claimed 13 lives and left several others injured.
Demanding moral accountability, the BJD leader said the Health Minister should resign and take responsibility for the tragedy. He also called for compensation of Rs 50 lakh for each bereaved family, alleging that the state government has refused to accept this demand.
“Given the magnitude of the incident, there must be accountability on both moral and administrative grounds. The Health Minister should step down, and adequate compensation must be provided to the victims’ families,” Jena said.
Meanwhile, BJD Chief Whip Pramila Mallik attacked the state government, saying that following a similar fire incident at a private hospital during the previous BJD government under former Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, the then Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak resigned on moral grounds, and the hospital's owner was also arrested.
She alleged, however, that despite the death of so many patients in the fire accident at the premier government-run hospital on March 16, the health minister is not stepping down. She also accused the BJP-led state government of lacking any sense of ethical standards and morality.
Meanwhile, BJP MLA Manoranjan Dyan Samantara on Thursday rejected the demand for the Health Minister's resignation, urging the opposition to engage in constructive debate within the House.
He said that the government is actively addressing the situation and has already taken action against four officials in connection with the recent incident.
He further assured that the administration is implementing step-by-step measures to address the shortcomings and improve the system.
Targeting the previous government, Samantray attributed the current shortcomings to years of neglect.
“Had the healthcare system been properly strengthened during the 25 years of the previous regime, such issues would not have arisen today,” he said.
Calling for a more constructive approach, Samantray appealed to opposition members to raise their concerns on the Assembly floor.