Mumbai: Opposition members staged a walkout from the Maharashtra Legislative Council on Thursday expressing dissatisfaction over the government`s reply on the occurrence of TDR and XDR types of tuberculosis cases in the state.
Replying to a poser by Congress member Ulhas Pawar during
Question Hour, Minister of state for Health Fauzia Khan said
there are no Totally Drug Resistant (TDR) Tuberculosis cases
in Maharashtra.
"The government is awaiting the report of a Central team
which had visited the city in January after the first case of
Extensively Drug Resistant (XDR) TB case was reported," she
added.
Pawar had sought the minister`s reply if the Central team
has given any written explanation on the issue.
Launching a protest over the minister`s reply, Leader of
Opposition Vinod Tawade said he had accessed the report from
the Union Health Ministry`s website and wondered how the state
health ministry could not do the same. Soon, a majority of
opposition legislators staged a walkout.
Intervening in the matter, Chairman Shivajirao Deshmukh
asked Health Minister Suresh Shetty to convene a meeting with
members of the Upper House and give them a satisfactory reply
on the issue.
"I direct Health Minister Suresh Shetty to convene a
meeting in this regard, where the members could get a
satisfactory reply," he said.
PTI
