‘State creating another hurdle in Bathinda AIIMS opening’

CHANDIGARH: Union minister for food processing industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal, on Friday, alleged that Punjab government was putting one obstacle after another in the stage-wise execution of the prestigious All-India institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bathinda project.

The state government was supposed to provide power supply to the AIIMS Bathinda last year itself, but it has failed to do so to date.

In the last review meeting of the project, state authorities were asked to ensure giving power supply to the institution latest by September 15, categorically mentioning that the building was ready for the inauguration, to no result.

“This time, the state government is deliberately delaying power supply to the premier medical institute as is evident from the Union health ministry’s latest communiqué to the state chief secretary,” said the Union minister.

Castigating the state government for its repeated attempts to stall the project and now to delay it inordinately, she claimed that the government was doing it deliberately.

Classes for the first batch of MBBS have started at the transit campus of Baba Farid University of Health Sciences, Faridkot and the management is keen to start the OPD (Outdoor Patient Department) services immediately, latest by the end of this month, but due to the lack of power connection, the starting of OPD is being delayed inordinately, and without any solid reason to boot.

Union health secretary has also written to Punjab chief secretary for his immediate intervention, saying that in the absence of power supply, the opening of the facility was being delayed.

This time, the state government is deliberately delaying power supply to the premier medical institute. This must stop now. HARSIMRAT KAUR BADAL, Union food processing minister