Cong MLAs join debate, miffed BJP walks out

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 27

Enraged over the participation of ruling party MLAs in the debate on cut motion on the Health and Family Welfare department, opposition BJP today staged a walk out in the Vidhan Sabha.

The BJP legislators staged a walk out in protest against Congress legislators being allowed to take part in the debate. “We have decided to stage a walk out as it is against the house rules to allow ruling party MLAs to take part in the debate on cut motions,” said Suresh Bhardwaj, Chief Whip of the BJP. He added that this was a tactic by the government and the minister to avoid giving the reply.

Health and Family Welfare Minister Kaul Singh Thakur said he would reply to the cut motion only when the Opposition is in the house. Even though he was asked by Speaker BBL Butail to give his reply, he said he would do so only in the presence of the BJP members.

Earlier initiating the debate on the cut motion on Health and Family Welfare department moved by the BJP members, Mahender Singh said the health service in the state were in shambles as a total of 10,091 posts of doctor and other paramedical staff were vacant. “Despite the Centre giving liberal assistance for setting of medical colleges, trauma centre, cancer care and under other projects, the state had failed to make proper use of it,” he said.

Participating in the debate Maheshwar Singh said the huge vacancies of doctors, nurses and other staff in hospitals was affecting health services, especially in remote and rural areas. Suresh Bhardwaj said the state had no health policy and expansion of health institutions was futile in the absence of adequate staff. “There is no faculty for the three medical colleges and in a bid to make the new medical colleges functional, services at Indira Gandhi Medical College were getting affected,” he regretted.

Rajiv Bindal, Baldev Tomar and Govind Sharma also pointed out the shortcomings in the healthcare, forcing people to go to the PGI and other heath institutions outside the state. Kuldeep Kumar, Kishori Lal and Ram Kumar lauded the steps taken by the government in providing better healthcare to the people and strengthening the network of health institutions even in the remote and rural areas.