The Bahujan Samaj Party staged a walkout in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday accusing the State government of not being serious in tackling swine flu. This was after the government claimed that no fresh cases have been reported in the last 10 days. Since the outbreak 17 persons have died.
Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Ram Murti Verma told the House that as per the information available till March 16, there were 1242 cases, with the maximum number of 923 cases in Lucknow, where eight persons died.
The Minister said deaths were reported from Saharanpur, Budaun and Muzaffarnagar districts, but compared to the “thousands of deaths” in the country, including in Maharashtra, Gujarat and Rajasthan only 17 persons died in the State.
Two laboratories
Mr. Verma accused the media and rumour mongers of creating a panic about swine flu, adding that the blood examination report was available in 24 hours.
Dharampal Singh of the Bahujan Samaj Party said samples were tested in two laboratories, both in Lucknow. He said samples collected in Agra are sent to Delhi for examination and it took 10 days to receive the report.
Mr. Singh wanted to know whether the government would give its nod to the Medical Council of India’s proposal for a laboratory in Agra. Stating that the outbreak had assumed serious proportions in the last one to two months, Leader of the Opposition Swami Prasad Maurya, asked, “when the MCI is willing to set up a lab in Agra is the government ready to accept the proposal?”
Mr. Verma said the MCI’s proposal pending since September 2014 would be examined by the government.
Not satisfied with the Minister’s reply, the BSP staged a walkout.
Earlier, the BJP members stormed the well of the House in protest against the proposal to take away the financial powers from the Mayors and to remove them by amending the relevant Act.
