Bhubaneswar, July 11 -- https://images.odishatv.in/uploadimage/library/16_9/16_9_0/recent_photo_1748249122.jpeg

The Assam government on Thursday decided that no private hospital will be allowed to hold the body of a patient for more than two hours even if the family fails to clear the bills of treatment, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said.

Addressing a press conference after a cabinet meeting here, Sarma also said that a new scheme will be rolled out in eight districts to control human-elephant conflicts.

"There will be no withholding of bodies by the private hospitals. They must hand over the bodies within two hours post-death certification, irrespective of pending payment. Delay beyond this may attract penal action," he said.

The...