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| Hospital issue brings Hindus, Muslims on one platform in communally sensitive Bhaderwah | | |
BHARAT BHUSHAN
JAMMU, Oct 7: The issues of not closing the old sub-district hospital (SDH) in the town and develop the new hospital on the outskirts on modern lines, with the state-of-the-art infrastructure, have brought the Hindu and Muslim organisations on one platform in the hitherto communally sensitive Bhaderwah tehsil of Doda.
The old hospital (which now stands closed) is in the heart of Bhaderwah, while the new is at Dandi, about 5 km from the town. In the absence of a minibus service, or any other public transport, people face difficulties to shift patients to Dandi. Because of the delay on this account, at least six persons have so far died for want of timely medical treatment, alleged locals.
After the new hospital was made operational, the old one was closed and its mattresses, electric bulbs and other items were taken home by some staffers, they alleged.
Also, most of the equipments in the Dandi hospital belong to the SDH and as promised, the health ministry did not equip the new building
with the latest machinery to provide people the advanced treatment, they said.
The locals said the government should not close the SDH as it was easily accessible by the majority population. They also want the new hospital to be developed on modern lines, with the state-of-the-art infrastructure and super specialist doctors.
In support of their two demands, prominent Bhadarwahis, including representatives of Sanatan Dharam Sabha (SDS) and Anjuman Islamia, are on a dharna for the past 28 days now. A bandh was also observed by the two communities on October 1 last under the banner of Bhaderwah Hospital Bachao Front (BHBF). They said they would be intensifying their struggle if the government did not concede their demands, which they term as the most genuine, within a week, or so.
"For the betterment and development of Bhaderwah, both the communities are one and will fight unitedly ," said SDS president Ashok Kotwal and Anjuman Islamia president Khairat Farash.
"There is also no transport facility available to commoners to go to the new hospital as a result of which the handful of autorickshaws, which operate between the town and Dandi, fleece them," they said.
"For a distance of 5 km, they charge Rs 60-70 per passenger. One autorickshaw carries four to five passengers at a time," said Sandeep Kotwal of Sartangal and Mushtaq Ahmad of Nalthi.
Wasim Raja Dar of Haveli Mohalla said he had to take his sister to the Dandi hospital at about 1 am on Friday last after she developed some health problem. The autorickshaw driver demanded Rs 500 from him but after bargaining, the fare was fixed at Rs 250, he added.
He said like other people of the area, he too was part of the protest in support of the demands of Bhaderwah people.
Satish Kotwal, Raju Paddar, Praveen Kumar, Munish Kotwal, Ranbir Manhas, Prof Kameshwar Nath, Mohammad Iqbal Choudhary, Chaman Lal Gupta and Mohammad Shafi Zargar also emphasised the need for equipping the new hospital with new equipments and keeping all the old things at the SDH so that it also remained operational.
BHBF has also constituted a 16-member team which has been entrusted with the responsibility of making their agitation more effective so that their voice is heard. |
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