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