Writing to agitating junior doctors, West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Panth invited a 15-member delegation to meet Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee at the state secretariat, Nabanna, at 5 pm on Thursday

This is the third offer from the state government for talks in the last two days. Panth, while refusing to permit a 30-member delegation and a live telecast of the meeting as sought by the protesting doctors, said the delegates could record the proceedings.

The invitation comes a day after talks broke down after Minister of State for Health Chandrima Bhattacharya, DGP Rajeev Kumar DGP, and Panth, in a press conference, said refused the doctors’ demands saying that the meeting should be held with an “open mind”, not with “preconditions” – and that the doctors need to adhere to the Supreme Court’s order for junior doctors to return to work by 5 pm on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, junior doctors continued their dharna for the third day on Thursday near the state’s health department headquarters in Salt Lake.

In a e-mail to the doctors, Panth, wrote, “I would like to reiterate that while the State Government is open to meeting the delegates to ensure smooth functioning of the healthcare infrastructure in the State, the same cannot be in any manner contrary to the directions passed by the Hon’ble Supreme Court for resumption of work, as such directions bind the State… the Hon’ble Chief Minister waited for your positive response for the last two consecutive days,” the email read.

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