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JALANDHAR: Terming the setting up of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Bathinda as ‘another injustice” with the Doaba region, Local MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh today said that he would strongly rake up the issue in Parliament in the current session and party would not tolerate such a ‘step motherly’ treatment to the people of Doaba.
When the AIIMS was announced by the centre, it was almost sure that the Institute would be set up in Doaba region for which even the land was identified in Kapurthala district, but suddenly due to political inspirations of “Badal Bahu”. Chief Minister bowed down and decided to shift the AIIMS to her political battlefield of Bathinda, MP said while terming it highly ‘deplorable and unacceptable”.
As the Satellite Centre of PGI was already set up in Sangrur, an adjourning district of Bathinda, where was the need to set up AIIMS in the same area? Chaudhary quipped.
It is a long pending demand of the Doaba region for setting up the AAIMS in Doaba region, as it is deprived of such medical facilities, Chaudhary said adding that although the then Chief Minister Beant Singh had given the project of Punjab Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) to the region, but that too was ruined by the Badals.
PIMS, which was constructed with the cost of more than 100 crores, was doled out by Badals to their ‘political friend” Surjit Singh Rakhra at throw away price, he said adding that the result of this is in front of all, as PIMS is virtually on the verge of closure and even the Medical Council of India (MCI) has banned PIMS for admission of medical students due to poor facilities.
Conspicuously, saffron party BJP, which claims itself as champions of protecting the rights of urbanites, is silent on the issue and virtually bowed down in front of Akalis.
It is pertinent to mention here that Punjab chief secretary Sarvesh Kaushal said this here on Friday said. “The site for AIIMS in Bathinda was finalised two months ago.”
While Union food processing minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal favoured the institute in Bathinda, the state government had in March this year finalised a site near Ramidi village in Kapurthala district. Even chief minister Parkash Singh Badal had been avoiding questions on the issue during his recent visits to the Doaba region.
“I had raised the issue in Parliament on May 11 during zero hour that as the infrastructure of PIMS is ready for its conversion in AIIMS, in this was long pending demand of people could be met”, Chaudhary revealed.
As Chief Secretary Sarvesh Kaushal on Friday declared that AIIMS would be set in Bathinda, time is ripe that people of Doaba should raise their voice against such an ‘injustice”, he said.
Congress MP recalled that earlier an Airport to Doaba region was sanctioned and even land was acquired near Kapurthala but the project was later converted into Pushpa Gujral Science City, in an attempt to woo the then Prime Minister IK Gujral by Akalis.
Even Jalandhar was dropped from the list of proposed Smart Cities, as Badals wanted to include Mohali, which is suitable for their proposed business activities, he claimed.
