Kolkata, Jun 17: West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee asked police to appoint nodal officers for security of doctors at all government hospitals in the state as she met the striking medicos on Monday in a bid to end the week-long impasse.

In the meeting, which was held at the state secretariat, a doctors' delegation apprised Banerjee of the problems they have been facing at medical colleges and hospitals and said they fear for their safety.

Banerjee asked the police officers present in meeting to appoint nodal officers for hospitals in the state for security of doctors.

West Bengal health secretary, MoS Chandrima Bhattacharya and other state officials were present in the meeting, besides 31 junior doctors.

The state government which had consented to protestors demand that meeting should be held in the presence of media, allowed only two regional news channels to cover the meeting.

The CM told the striking doctors that no doctor has been booked by the state government.

The representatives of the joint forum of junior doctors also sought exemplary punishment for those involved in assault on doctors at NRS Medical College and Hospital on June 11.

Banerjee also directed formation of grievance redressal units in all state-run hospitals as proposed by the junior doctors.

She said the state government has taken adequate measures and arrested five people involved in NRS incident.

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Berhampur (Odisha) (PTI): Two girls drowned while bathing in a village pond in Odisha's Ganjam district on Tuesday, police said.

The deceased were identified as Pranjali Dora (11), a class 6 student, and Manini Dora (12), a student of class 7, both residents of Patanda village in Digapahandi police station area, a police officer said.

After returning home from school, they went to the village pond to take a bath like every other day. However, they slipped and fell into deep waters. Locals noticed them drowning and tried to rescue them but failed, he said.

Fire brigade personnel from Digapahandi retrieved the girls after a two-hour search and they were rushed to a nearby community health centre, where doctors declared them dead, Digapahandi police station officer-in-charge Kishor Kumar Samal said.

He said the bodies have been handed over to the respective families after conducting post-mortem examinations at MKCG Medical College and Hospital here.

He said unnatural death cases have been registered and an investigation launched.