Kolkata: Concerned over the stalemate at the government medical colleges and hospitals, governor Keshari Nath Tripathi on Saturday wrote to West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, advising her to ensure security to the agitating doctors immediately and to talk to them as well. This was his second letter written to her within a day. He also voiced his displeasure over his failed attempt to talk to her. Ms Banerjee later said that she had spoken to him on the crisis.
Press secretary to the governor Manab Bandyopadhyay stated that Mr Tripathi, in his second letter to the chief minister, advised her to take immediate steps to provide security to the doctors and to take them into confidence about the firm and credible assurance of arrangements of their security as well as quick investigation of the incidents of assault on them so that suitable atmosphere is generated to enable the doctors to resume their duties.
The governor also “expressed his sadness at her non-responsiveness to his efforts to talk to her” and in the same letter he mentioned that he had written her a letter on Friday in which he had mentioned the grievances and demands of doctors and their willingness to resume their duties upon redressal of their grievances.
Mr Tripathi said, “While assuring the associations that I will send their representations to the state government, who is the appropriate authority to look into their demands, I appealed to them to resume their duty. I had suggested in my letter to you to meet the doctors and assure to provide adequate security to them and also to look into their grievances. I understand that no meeting with agitating doctors has been held by the government till now.”
He requested that he may be kept apprised of the actions taken in this regard. Informing about her government steps for the security at the hospitals, Ms Banerjee said in the evening at Nabanna, the state secretariat, “I had a talk with the governor. The junior doctors can also talk to him. They can talk to anyone. There is no difference between me and the governor in this regard.”
