NEW DELHI, 24 May 2006 — The stalemate between the striking medicos and the government on the reservation issue continues. Though the medicos have scaled down their earlier demand of total rollback in the government’s proposal to allocate 27 percent seats for other backward classes (OBCs), they remain insistent on a review of the reservation policy by a panel of experts.
On this, the president of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Resident Doctors Association, Vinod Patro, said: “As of now there is status quo and we will continue our strike as government has not agreed to setting up a committee of experts to review the reservation policy.”
Despite the authorities having issued 24-hour notices to more than 700 doctors on strike, to either report back work or face termination, till yesterday evening no progress was made in this direction.
Ironically, though the issue has now reached the court, the striking medicos have gained some time without having to ask for the same. In response to a petition filed by Scheduled Caste (SC) and Scheduled Tribe (ST) Medical Association, the Delhi High Court issued notices yesterday to the federal government, the Delhi government and the Medical Council of India. The respondents are to file their replies by June 1, the next day of hearing, which has indirectly also given the medicos a week’s time to plan their strategy.
Appearing for the petitioner, counsel Prashant Bhushan submitted that appropriate disciplinary action should be initiated against the striking doctors under the service rules.
