HC intervention ray of hope for ESIC Medical College at Rourkela

Daily Pioneer reports

http://dailypioneer.com/357230/HC-intervention-ray-of-hope-for-ESIC-Medical-College-at-Rourkela.html

The long-standing demand for an ESIC Medical College and Hospital at Rourkela has now found a ray of hope after the Odisha High Court’s intervention on a PIL filed by a group of eminent personalities including an NRI.

Hearing the petition on July 28, Chief Justice V Gopala Gowda and Justice BN Mohapatra were not only shocked over State Government’s decision ignoring the basic criteria, ie, number of IPs, directed the State Labour Secretary to submit the status report within two weeks. The court also ordered service of notice by speed post to the Union Labour Secretary and DG, ESIC to submit the status report in two weeks’ time and stop work at the Bhubaneswar site till further orders.

In a media briefing at the Rourkela Press Club on Saturday, Convenor of the Action Committee for ESIC Medical College and Hospital at Rourkela Muralidhar Parija said after knowing about the decision of ESIC to set up a Medical College and Hospital in Odisha at a cost of `1,600 crore in September 2009, it was assumed that Rourkela would be the suitable place for the project from IPs’ (Insured Persons’) point of view as also from geographical point of view. But that was not to happen, he deplored.”The babus and the Ministers at the steering wheel of State affairs in Bhubaneswar took a decision to the contrary to set it up at Bhubaneswar though the State capital is over-saturated with a number of medical colleges and big nursing homes while other mega healthcare projects are in the pipeline from the Railway and the AIIMS,” he said.

Parija said, “Reacting to the sadistic and short-sighted decision, the elite masses including NRIs urged for shifting the venue to Rourkela. Several representations to the Prime Minister, the Chief Minister and the Labour Minister it had no impact although out of 2.5 lakh IPs in the State more than 1.3 lakh are in Sundargarh district and its adjacent areas. Even due to various ongoing projects, every month 7-10 thousand new IPs are adding to the number here.” Therefore, he said, finding no other way, the action committee had to knock at the High Court’s door with a PIL on July 25 making the Labour Secretary, Government of India, Director General, ESIC, New Delhi, Labour Secretary, Government of Odisha and the Regional Director, ESIC, Bhubaneswar opposite parties.

Among others Rourkela Chamber President Shyamlal Singhal, CITU leader Biman Maity, Rourkela Bar Association President Ramesh Bal, Joint Secretary Raj Kishore Pradhan, former MLA Prabhat Mohapatra, Rourkela Development Committee Convener Subrat Patnaik, social activists PC Nayak, Surendra Dash and Jahangir Alli were present, expressing their solidarity with the cause. Advocate Aseem Amitav Dash is pleading the case for the petitioners.

Sundargarh loses out on ESIC medical

Expressbuzz.com reports

http://expressbuzz.com/states/orissa/sundargarh-loses-out-on-esic-medical/298660.html

ROURKELA: With the State Government deciding to go ahead with the ESIC medical college and hospital at Bhubaneswar, the Opposition parties are gearing up to renew their agitations.

This has put an end to the hopes of the residents of Sundargarh district who had been fighting for the facility. Since Sundargarh district is central in the dense industrial area, the facility would have o benefited Jharsuguda, Sambalpur and Keonjhar as well, which have the highest number of insured persons.

Social activist Bideshini Patel flayed the BJD Government for neglecting western districts in matters of advanced healthcare.

Orissa CPM secretariat member and State CITU general secretary Bishnu Mohanty claimed that they have not abandoned the demand and an action committee, involving various trade unions and apolitical organisations, has been formed to pursue the demand.

Criticising the State Government, Mohanty said the private Hi-Tech Medical College and Hospital at Rourkela could in no way compensate the advanced healthcare needs of the working class and poor population. He asserted that they would fight for the cause tooth and nail. Newly-appointed Rourkela unit Congress president Nihar Ray also blamed the local minister and described the State Government’s decision as politically motivated.