Durga Puja holidays extended for these people

Kolkata - The West Bengal government has decided to end the extended Durga Puja holidays for employees at state-run hospitals starting next year, according to Health Minister Sharadwat Mukhopadhyay. Mukhopadhyay stated that an unofficial tradition has persisted since India's independence, where the break began on the sixth day of Durga Puja, known as Sasthi, and concluded on the tenth day, Lakshmi Puja.

This custom will come to an end from the following year. The health department functions differently from other departments, as it is an emergency sector that requires round-the-clock services, he explained. Hospitals will implement a duty roster for staff from the seventh day, Saptami, to the tenth day, Dashami, during Durga Puja next year.

Those currently on leave are also ordered to resume work immediately, the minister added. Doctors and nurses will not receive a fixed schedule but must remain available at hospitals as needed. This decision followed complaints about doctors and other officials missing hospital duties during the festive season, with accusations that some had taken unauthorized leave.

Mukhopadhyay expressed his frustration in a meeting with health department officials on Friday, emphasizing that government employees are accountable to the public. He asserted that the health department, being an emergency sector, operates without any holidays and must work continuously, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.