Bargarh: Hundreds of locals, who were observing 12-hour bandh in Bargarh town demanding a city hospital, got into a scuffle with police here in Odisha on Monday.
According to reports, the locals staged dharna in front of the old district headquarters hospital in the district headquarter town demanding the hospital to be converted into a city hospital. They also staged road blockade in the town to press their demand.
local BJD MLA Debash Acharya, District Collector Jyoti Ranjan Pradhan and SP Padmini Sahu arrived at the dharna spot and requested the agitators to withdraw the stir. However, their repeated requests went in vain.
The situation turned ugly when some protestors pelted stone a police team during the agitation. Later, more police platoons were called to disperse the mob.
The protesters alleged that they face difficulties to take critical patients to new district headquarters hospital, which has been shifted to a new place around 14 km from the Bargarh town.
Hence, the locals urged the state government to run the old district headquarters hospital as a city hospital for the best interest of the local people.
Ms Kalinga