Committee does not relent, wants full-fledged AIIMS

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 30

The AIIMS Coordination Committee rejected the announcement of Union Health Minister JP Nadda on AIIMS this evening. The committee said the BJP had played another bluff with Jammu and it was fighting for a full-fledged AIIMS and not for ‘similar facilities’.

The statement was issued by the Union Health Minister first on social networking site Twitter and later in a press note. The statement: “The Health Ministry is setting up an AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir and will provide facilities similar to AIIMS in both Jammu and Kashmir” created confusion among the AIIMS Coordination Committee and people of the Jammu region.

Abhinav Sharma, chairman of the AIIMS Coordination Committee, said: “Why similar facilities, why not AIIMS? They are befooling Jammu. Our agitation will continue till we get a formal order for setting up a full-fledged AIIMS in Jammu.”

The AIIMS Coordination Committee, an amalgam of 70 social, business, political and religious organisations agitating for setting up AIIMS in Jammu, did not get any formal information till late evening. The tweet and the press note issued by the Health Minister failed to call off the 72-hour bandh called by the AIIMS panel.

“This is another bluffed played by the BJP with the people of Jammu. Our earlier decision of a 72-hour Jammu Bandh stays,” said Zorawar Singh Jamwal, AIIMS panel spokesperson.

“We are fighting for a full-fledged AIIMS in Jammu. The statement of providing similar facilities is an eyewash,” Jamwal added.

After two earlier successful bandh calls in Jammu, the coordination committee had started a chain hunger strike on June 11. It had called for a 72-hour bandh in Jammu from June 19, but on the written assurance of Deputy Chief Minister Nirmal Singh that an announcement regarding AIIMS would be made by July 20, the agitation was postponed.

As the government failed to announce AIIMS for Jammu, the coordination committee restarted the chain hunger strike from Tuesday and has called for a 72-hour Jammu bandh from July 31.