Vets to stage Dharna at state level from 16th

15 february (odisha taza news ) Bhubaneswar :- The Veterinary doctors of Odisha are on mass leave since Dt 18.01.2024 which has come to 28 days by today. They are also holding dharna at the district level at the premises of respective Chief District Veterinary Officers. Their demands include transformation of the department in form of abolition of Users Charges, round the clock services, specialized services, referral services etc, creation of promotional avenues in form of Dynamic Assured Career Progression (DACP), grant of Non-Practicing Allowance (NPA) to its members and restructuring of the cadre etc which are pending at Government level since last two years, During the four weeks protest period the veterinary services have been severely affected throughout the state. In a recent incident,a poor goat farmer lost nine goats due to faulty treatment by a quack in Begunia block of Khordha district. Though there are hundreds of such occurrences in the state in last month, the Government has preferred to take its eyes back and pretending to be ignorant about the grievous situation. Similarly, Outbreaks have been reported in several pockets of the state. The death of insured animals could not be reported duly during the period for which the owners are doubtful about settlement of their claims. The mobile Veterinary Units, i.e. a flagship programme of the Government is on a complete stand still since last two weeks. Mukhyamantri Krushi Udyoga Yojana has also lost all momentum even though there are four other stakeholder sectors and other designated staff for it. Vetero-legal cases of both police and forest departments are being processedwithout proper investigation. Poor farmers are being unable to avail their legitimate dues under different small scale state plan anti-poverty schemes. The Animal Help Line (1962) programme has become a jest for the public. National disease control programmes (especially FMDCP) have been suspended for which the entire cattle population of the state is at risk today.Nationwide Artificial Insemination Programme has been affected to a great extent.The upward and downwards communications have also been disrupted in the department. No reporting is being done in the department since last four weeks. Many such instances have been flooding the mass and social media during the period. Distressed people calling the call centers of MoSarkar, Honourable Chief Minister’s office and District Collectors etc are also not getting appropriate response. Thus, though the livestock owners of the state are bearing huge loss owing to the stagnancy in Veterinary service delivery,the Government has hardly shown any interest to address the issue. Though there have been several discussions between the associationand the Government through the Principal Secretary and the Honourable Minister, Agriculture & FE & Fisheries & ARD, the grievances of the association have been ignored in all the occasions. A meeting of office bearers of Odisha Veterinary Service Association (OVSA) with the Chief Advisor to the Chief Ministers’ Office Sri Suresh Chandra Mahapatra was convened on Dt 12.02.2024 at the Lokseva Bhavan, Bhubaneswar in presence of the Principal Secretary, Fisheries & Animal Resources Development department Sri Suresh Kumar Vashishth. Unfortunately, no deliberation was held in the meeting about the demands of the association and the discussion could not arrive at any logical conclusion. The association reviewed the situation through a virtual General Body
meeting on Dt 13.02.24 and all members decided to move to the capital and stage a dharna at state level i.e. in the premises of the head office (Directorate) at Cuttack from Dt 16.02.24. They have also decided to resort to hunger strike in future if the Government still remains indifferent. In the above eventuality, the association has once again appealed the Government to address their genuine grievances judiciously at earliest so that the long stagnancy in the department due to mass leave of Veterinarians could be ended and normalcy could be restored. However, the incident has brought a great deal of frustration among the livestock owners. They have now been compelled to suffer further due to the indifferent stand of the Government.