Bhopal, Oct 8 (IANS) Chief Minister Mohan Yadav on Wednesday said the state government would expect better cooperation and suggestions from the Opposition when painful incidents like those in Chhindwara and Betul happen.

Chief Minister said the officials and public representatives have equal responsibility in delivering better services to the people. He said the government is trying to make better coordination between elected representatives and the senior officials in the district administration and police.

“It’s true that when such an incident occurs where children lost their lives, questions from the opposition or media become equally important,” Yadav said while addressing the press after the Collectors Commissioners Conference concluded in Bhopal on Wednesday.

Deputy Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, who has been in Nagpur to assess the situation, on Wednesday said that five children admitted in hospitals are in a critical condition, while 20 have died due to kidney infections caused by the consumption of a “contaminated” cough syrup.

He informed that a police team from Chhindwara has gone to Kancheepuram in Tamil Nadu to arrest the owner of the company that manufactures Coldrif cough syrup, Shukla told reporters after meeting families of the deceased children.

“A total of 20 children — 17 from Chhindwara, two from Betul and one from Pandhurna — have died,” said Shukla, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister.

Two children are admitted to the AIIMS, two in a government hospital, and one in a private hospital in Nagpur. Everyone is trying to save these children’s lives,” Shukla said.

Notably, the opposition Congress has been raising the issue aggressively, blaming the government for the children deaths and demanding action against senior officials and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla.

–IANS

pd/dan