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Striking docs observe 'civil disobedience'

       New Delhi: Even as President APJ Abdul Kalam urged the agitating medical students to end their fast and resume their normal student life, the striking medicos have decided to continue their stir and are observing "civil disobedience" here today. AIIMS Resident Doctors' Association member Dr Vinod Patro said that they have appealed to various groups such as traders, resident welfare associations, bank personnel and members of BAR associations to skip the work from 9 a.m. to 12 noon today. According to the striking medicos, the move is being supported by the Delhi Medical Association (DMA) and the Indian Medical Association (IMA). The DMA would also organise a "dharna" at AIIMS today between 11 a.m. and 5 a.m. to support the medicos' agitation. Earlier yesterday, a 22-member delegation of striking doctors met Kalam and appealed to him to not sign the Bill proposing to bring 27 percent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBC) in elite educational institutions. After the meeting, Kalam said that keeping in view the interest of all sections of the student community and to meet their aspirations for opportunities for higher education, the Centre would simultaneously increase the number of seats in educational institutes under the Central category. He said an Oversight Committee would be constituted to draw up a time bound road map for implementing this decision, adding that the Committee would submit a comprehensive report in this regard by August 31, 2006.

      Kalam further assured the students who met him today, that the increase in the number of seats and the action report of the Oversight Committee would be undertaken within the stipulated time set up by the Centre.

      The Centre on Tuesday night decided to implement the proposal to introduce the 27 per cent reservation for Other Backward Classes (OBCs) in higher educational institutions from June 2007, while increasing seats for the general category students. This has further outraged the students. At present, government-funded colleges have to allocate 22.5 percent of their seats to students belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category. The proposed 27 percent reservation for the OBC students in premier education institutes across the country along with the existing 22.5 percent reservation would take the total seats under the quota category to nearly 50 percent, leaving only half of the total seats for the General category students. But protests have only intensified over the last few days, and many doctors have gone on strike in support of the demonstrators, crippling healthcare facilities in many cities.

Traders join medicos in anti-quota stir  (Go To Top)
by Lokendra Singh/Chandrika

      Jain Jaipur/New Delhi: Traders in several places in the country joined the agitating doctors and downed their shutters on Thursday, as a mark of solidarity with the medicos in their protest against the Centre's proposal to reserve twenty-seven per cent seats for backward castes' students in country's higher educational institutions. In Jaipur, the doctors, who took out an anti-quota rally, was joined by traders and general public. In the national capital New Delhi, the New Delhi Traders' Association (NDTA) extended their support to the anti-reservation movement. President of NDTA Atul Bhargava said that NDTA has expressed support to the students' struggle on the issue of extension of the quota system and it was denounced by almost everyone in the group. Bhragava said, since morning shops were closed in Connaught Place and would remain closed till 1:00 p.m. Besides this, they have also asked all other market to join together to fight the issue.

      Meanwhile, students and faculty of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) went on a day's leave in support of the striking interns and doctors. They, however, promised essential medical care would not suffer. According to sources, mega-rally called 'Dilli aao, desh bachao' will be organized tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. at Ramlila Maiden. The strike has affected medical care at state-run hospitals in several cities across the country disrupted, leaving thousands of patients stranded without treatment. At present, government-funded colleges have to allocate 22.5 percent of their seats to students belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes category. The proposed 27 percent reservation for the OBC students in premier education institutes across the country along with the existing 22.5 percent reservation would take the total seats under the quota category to nearly 50 percent, leaving only half of the total seats for the General category students. But protests have only intensified over the last few days, and many doctors have gone on strike in support of the demonstrators, crippling healthcare facilities in many cities.

Sidhu leads anti-quota medicos in Amritsar (Go To Top)
by Ravinder Singh Robin

       Amritsar: Former Test cricketer and BJP Member of Parliament from Amritsar, Navjot Singh Sidhu, today led a medicos rally here in protest against the UPA Government's decision to impose 27 percent reservations in institutions of higher learning. Representatives of the Indian Medical Association, the Amritsar Medical Representative Association, the Chemist Association and the Employees Association also extended support to the march and the cause behind it. The march began from Novelty Chowk and ended outside the office of Amritsar's Deputy Commissioner. A memorandum was submiited with an appeal that the just demands of striking doctors be addressed. Addressing the gathering, Sidhu assured the striking doctors of his support while maintaining that reservations should only be applicable for the needy. Advocating equality in the society Sidhu said there were certain forces which were bent upon creating a social divide, which he would oppose tooth and nail. "I am with the truth and would continue to extend my support for the uplift of the downtrodden sections of society," he said.