The agitating Maharashtra Association of Resident Doctors have decided to call off their strike which has entered the 40th day today. A meeting with all members will be held at 4 pm and doctors will be told to resume duty thereafter. A MARD member claimed this follows a letter from the Director of Medical Education and Research Dr Mridula Phadke assuring the agitating doctors that they will not be victimised. Dr Phadke was not available for confirmation of the issuance of such a letter. The government had till now consistently refused to issue such a letter, they said.

They also claimed that the government has formed a committee to look into the demands of the agitating doctors, which will submit its report in six weeks.

The MARD representatives had last night met Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh at his Varsha residence where he assured them that no punitive action will be taken against them, the MARD representative said. The CM assured them that the delinking will continue till Medical Council of India accords recognition to MUHS, they claimed.

MARD has all along been demanding assurances in writing instead of oral statements issued by the state government over delinking of all medical colleges from the controversial Maharashtra University of Health Sciences, reduction in post-graduate fees, increase in dearness allowance and stipendiary DNB posts.

Yesterday afternoon Minister for Health Digvijay Khanwilkar said that a notice had been issued to the agitating doctors to either resume work by 5 pm yesterday or vacate their hostels by today evening. Things moved fast after this ultimatum was issued.

The government had last week decided to delink all medical colleges from the MUHS till it gets Medical Council of India's recognition, which is mandatory for any doctor wishing to practise outside Maharashtra. However, MARD demanded that the government produce the order in writing.

The state government then put the condition that negotiations would be held with the striking doctors only if they withdrew the strike. This was not acceptable to the doctors.