The standoff between homoeopathy practitioners and the state government has come to a head. Maharashtra Council of Homoeopathy (MCH) administrator Bahubali Shah told mid-day that the state government should take its statement as an ultimatum and take serious note of their demand to be allowed to practise modern medicine.

The practitioners have declared that they will wait only until Tuesday evening for a response from the chief minister’s office, failing which they will launch what they describe as “stringent measures, more rigorous than going on strike”.

Homoeopaths had gone on a hunger strike after the Maharashtra Medical Education Department decided to stay an earlier order that allowed homoeopathy practitioners to prescribe and practise modern medicine after completing a one-year certification course. “It was around July 16 when the chief minister had said that an internal committee would be set up to come to a solution, and a response would be given within four days. Keeping faith, we called off the protest. But it has been almost one month now, and we haven’t received any response,” said Shah.