"We will continue with the cease work as our demands are not fulfilled. We had asked the state government to remove the Kolkata Police Commissioner, health secretary, director of health services and the director of medical education by 5PM. We are open to discussion,” one of the agitating doctors told the media.
During the September 9th hearing, the Supreme Court had asked the agitating junior doctors to resume work by 5PM on Tuesday, failing which it will not be able to restrain the state government from taking any action against them.
On the other hand, instead of abiding by the apex court’s directive, the agitating doctors had set a ‘deadline’ of 5PM today for the state government to fulfil their demands, failing which they would not resume work.
Although the day is drawing to a close, no conclusion has been derived from today’s agitation.
After the apex court’s verdict, the junior doctor’s front had given a call to march to ‘Swasthya Bhavan’ — the state's headquarters of the health department — on Tuesday noon.
They are still protesting outside Swasthya Bhavan to get their demands fulfilled.
However, in a turn of events, on Tuesday, MOS Health & Family Welfare Health Minister Chandrima Bhattacharya did a press conference to inform that the agitating doctor’s front has received a letter (in email) to have an in-person discussion with the Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the State Secretariat.
Bhattacharya said that CM Banerjee even waited to hear from them. However, no communication was initiated from the junior doctors end in reply to the email.
On inquiring, the protesting doctors, it has been learnt that the letter for discussion that they received came from the email ID of Narayan Swaroop Nigam — principal health secretary — whose resignation is one the primary demands of the medics. This agitated the protesting doctors even more.
They are of the view that the email was an insult to them. Owing to which, they neither responded nor went ahead to have a conversation with the chief minister at Nabanna.
At present, the situation appears like a deadlock between the medics and the state government. One wonders who would give in to whose demands first.
Follow us
