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Odisha's Leader of the Opposition Naveen Patnaik on Tuesday demanded the resignation of Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling over the death of 12 people in the fire at the state-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack. Patnaik, who visited the hospital following the incident on Monday, raised the issue in the assembly during the Zero Hour. "He (minister) must take moral responsibility for this catastrophic lapse in safety oversight," the former CM said. "What I witnessed was not just a scene of a tragic accident, but a stark reminder of the crumbling safety standards in our state's premier healthcare institution," he added. Patnaik said the deceased were patients who came to the hospital with the hope of recovery, only to meet a horrific end due to "administrative negligence". "The Health Department cannot hide behind inquiries while families mourn. A judicial enquiry is welcome, but it does not absolve the political leadership of its responsibility," he said. Claiming that th
The toll in the devastating fire at government-run SCB Medical College and Hospital here climbed to 11 after one more patient succumbed to burn injuries on Tuesday, officials said. The deceased patient was identified as 20-year-old Pabitra Dosari, who hailed from Koraput district. He was undergoing treatment at the hospital when fire broke out at the trauma care ICU early on Monday. Ten patients were killed and 11 people injured in the incident on Monday. Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi and Leader of the Opposition in the state assembly, Naveen Patnaik, visited the hospital on Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also taken stock of the situation. The state government has constituted a judicial panel to probe the incident, and also formed a fact-finding team headed by Development Commissioner D K Singh that visited the hospital. The team will submit a report to the chief secretary. The blaze had erupted around 2.48 am on the first floor and is suspected to have been triggere
Ten people were killed after a major fire erupted in an ICU in Odisha government-run SCB Medical College and Hospital in Cuttack in the wee hours of Monday, officials said. Around 11 hospital staff members suffered burn injuries while rescuing patients to safety. The fire erupted at the ICU of the Trauma Care department of the hospital, where critically ill patients were being treated, an official said, adding that the fire broke out at around 2.30 and 3 am. Fire service personnel rushed to the hospital and doused the fire after launching an operation, the official said. The fire service officials, along with hospital staff and police, along with patients' attendants, rescued the patients undergoing treatment at the ICU and shifted them to other departments of the SCB hospital, which is a major state-run medical facility in Odisha. Soon after getting the news, Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi, along with Health Minister Mukesh Mahaling, visited the hospital and reviewed th
Indian Railways has approved the regularisation of the Bhubaneswar-Dhanbad and Puri-Patna special trains. Railways Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has informed Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi about the development. "Kindly refer to our discussion regarding regularisation of special trains for public convenience. You would be pleased to know that regularisation of the two special trains have been approved," Vaishnaw said in a letter to the chief minister. Bhubaneswar-Dhanbad Special (02832/02831) will now run as Bhubaneswar-Dhanbad Express (18403/18404) and Puri-Patna Special (08439/08440) will now run as Puri-Patna Express (18405/18406). The daily Bhubaneswar-Dhanbad Express will depart Bhubaneswar at 8.25 pm and reach Dhanbad at 11 am the next day. Its return journey will commence at 4 pm and the train would arrive at the Odisha capital at 7.45 am the next day. The Bhubaneswar-Dhanbad Express will halt at Cuttack, Dhenkanal, Talcher Road, Angul, Rairakhol, Sambalpur city, ...
Odisha Chief Minister Mohan Charan on Sunday disbursed over Rs 5,100 crore for more than one crore women beneficiaries of the state's flagship Subhadra Yojana, coinciding with International Women's Day. Majhi disbursed the fourth instalment of the Yojana at a special event held in Puri. Several state ministers joined the programme virtually from different districts. An amount of Rs 5,000 each was credited to the bank accounts of 1.02 crore women, who have already received a similar amount in three instalments. Addressing the gathering, Majhi said his government has succeeded in empowering the women of the state through the Subhadra Yojana. The scheme has socially and economically empowered the women and made them self-reliant. Becoming financially independent, the Subhadra beneficiaries have created a special identity for them in society, he added. The chief minister said the empowerment of Subhadra beneficiaries will accelerate the process to build a prosperous and Viksit Odisha.
The Commissionerate Police of Bhubaneswar-Cuttack has imposed traffic restrictions on certain routes of both cities on March 5 and 6 in view of Union Home Minister Amit Shah's two-day visit to Odisha beginning Thursday. Shah is scheduled to arrive here around 8 pm and will stay overnight in the city, officials said on Wednesday. According to his schedule, the minister will lay the foundation stone for the National Forensic Science University (NFSU) and the Central Forensic Science Laboratory (CFSL) Bhubaneswar campus at Jatni in Khurda district on Friday. He will also virtually inaugurate the NFSU transit campus in Bhubaneswar and an exhibition on the new criminal laws in the state capital on March 6. Shah will also launch various projects related to cooperation and other departments, they said, adding that he will attend a CISF event at Mundali in Cuttack, police said. In a notification, police said movement of vehicles will be restricted from 8 pm to 8.45 pm on Thursday at Airpo