Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 12: Opposition PDP members today again lodged their strong protest over the issue of bias attitude of Government in creating new administrative units and also providing ‘wrong and incomplete’ information in the Upper House and staged walk out.
As the Legislative Council commenced its routine business in the morning with the ‘Question Hour’, the PDP members including Mohd Ashraf Mir, Nayeem Akhtar and Asgali Ali stood up and lodged their protest with the Chairman, claiming that no response has been observed from the Government over the issue of creation of administrative units. Mr Mir said Chair had given directions yesterday to forward this proposal including list of deserving areas to be accorded tehsil/ block status but no response has been received.
The Chairman Legislative Council, Amrit Malhotra said that he had forwarded the list provided by PDP members with his covering letter to the Government. The Government required some time to examine and members should not be so impatient. Let, the Government take some time and take a decision over the issue. They repeatedly pressed for the response but the Chairman preferred to go for questions and again requested the members to have faith in the ‘Chair’. The members then took their seats and allowed to resume ‘Question Hour’.
Raising first question on the condition of PHC and Sub Centers in Kashmir, Ashraf Mir of PDP alleged that there were many hospitals where infrastructure was not complete or adequate staff was not in place. The people have been left to suffer. In many hospitals, there were no ambulances and many were lying out of order.
Minister incharge PHE, I&FC Sham Lal Sharma was replying on behalf of Health Minister. He gave detailed reply to the members and also responded to his supplementaries, but the members pressed that reply was not complete and misleading one. The Minister however, contested that member himself was trying to mislead the House by projecting wrong figures with regard to ambulances available in Kashmir. He claimed that 468 and not 66 ambulances were available in Kashmir region.
Mr Sharma also disclosed that under NRHM 180 MBBS doctors, 540 paramedics, 10 specialists, 31 ISM doctors and 42 officials in PMUs at district level were engaged last year. The Minister also gave details of last three years and number of health institutions set up. The member however, contested on the issue of ambulances, poor infrastructure and inadequate staff and asked Minister to name any single institution in the State where facilities are complete. Not satisfied with the reply of the Minister, the member threatened to walk-out.
But after next question of Nayeem Akhtar regarding condition of fountains in Srinagar and receiving reply of the Minister incharge Urban Development and Urban Local Bodies N R Jora, the members along with Mr Akhtar staged walk out. Mr Akhtar alleged that reply was wrong and attempt has been made to give benefit to the contractors associated with ruling party. The Minister however, contested that out of ten, nine fountains constructed after 2009 were functional in Srinagar. All the members from Opposition then staged walk out at 11.17 am.
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