Report by Kahnu Nanda, Jagatsinghpur: People cutting across political affiliations, civil society members, and residents under the banner Zilla Swasthya Surakhya Abhiyan observed dawn to dusk Bandha on Thursday demanding the establishment of a medical college and reconsideration of Rural Health Training Center [RHTC] shifting from here.
The report said that normal life was disrupted in Jagatsinghpur and adjoining areas due to Bandha for 12 hours, shops and business establishments remained closed, vehicular traffic also remained off road including bus service during the whole of the day connecting to Jagatsinghpur headquarters.
Schools and colleges were opened but reported thin attendance, government offices, and judicial courts witnessed negligible staff, causing a dearth of visitors, and banks and insurance companies offices were suspended during Bandha. However essential services were exempted from the ambit of the Bandha. Heavy Police arrangements were made to thwart any untoward incident, report said that the Bandha passed off peacefully without any unpleasant incident.
Setting up a medical college at Jagatsinghpur a longstanding demand of people, but successive state governments mainly the present BJD-ruled government is ignored the demand. To push our demand further we observed Bandha received massive support from People, informed Advocate Basudev convener Zilla Swastya Surakhya Abhiyan.
Leaders attending the agitation vehemently opposed the state health department’s endeavor to shift RHTC from Jagatsinghpur. In no circumstance we can sacrifice our RHTC functioning here since the year 1955 facilitating medical training to doctors, nurses, paramedical staff and health workers, if the government moves ahead on the proposal massive agitation will be launched, they warned.
Sources informed that the Bandha drew a huge public response, hundreds of people thronged to the street carrying placards, and festoons and shouted slogans demanding the setting up medical college here. Meanwhile district BJD unit maintained its distance from the Bandha, moreover, few BJD leader’s participation was reported. The agitation was led by congress leaders Natabar Barik, Hemanta Rath, Biplab Choudhury, BJP leader Pratap Mishra.
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