‘Jammu’s rights being repeatedly snatched’
Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Mar 14: Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders and party MLAs strongly criticized the National Conference-(NC) led Government for what they termed as a “blatantly biased and unjustified” decision regarding the creation and distribution of posts in medical institutions across Jammu and Kashmir.
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A press conference was jointly addressed by MLA Jammu North, Sham Lal Sharma, MLA Samba, Surjit Singh Salathia, MLA Bahu, Ch. Vikram Randhawa, and MLA Jammu East, Yudhvir Sethi, at the BJP Headquarters in Trikuta Nagar, here which was also attended by BJP Media in charge, Dr. Pardeep Mahotra.
Sham Lal Sharma, MLA and former Cabinet Minister launched a scathing attack on the NC Government, stating that the recent decision taken in a Cabinet meeting regarding the creation of posts has once again exposed the discriminatory mindset of the regime towards the Jammu region.
Sharma said that a total of 136 posts were created by the Government, out of which 90 posts (including 17 Professors and 73 Associate Professors) were allotted to Kashmir, while only 46 (including 10 professors and 36 associate professors) were given to Jammu, which clearly reflects a biased approach and amounts to snatching the rightful share of the people of Jammu.
He said that the NC Government has flouted all established norms, rules and criteria while making this allocation. Referring to the 2011 Census, Sharma stated that according to it although there may be some irregularities, the current distribution of posts is completely disproportionate and unacceptable.
Sharma further pointed out that no rational criteria such as the actual work done by institutions, IPD and OPD patient load, or healthcare requirements were taken into account while making the allocation. “Allotting 90 posts to Kashmir and only 46 to Jammu medical institutions is beyond any logical or administrative justification,” he asserted.
Highlighting the neglect of Jammu’s healthcare infrastructure, Sharma said that several proposals for recruitment of manpower in Jammu-based hospitals are lying unattended for years. He cited the example of the Bone and Joint Hospital in Jammu, where a requirement of 299 posts was projected, but the hospital continues to function merely on internal arrangements due to non-approval of posts.
He further said that in Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu, the Department of Neonatology requires 17 posts, while the Emergency Medicine Department requires 61 posts, but these crucial requirements remain ignored.
Sharma also reminded that during the Administrative Council decisions under the Lt. Governor’s administration, 196 posts were sanctioned for the State Cancer Institute and 237 posts were approved for the 200-bedded Maternity Hospital at Gandhi Nagar, but these decisions are yet to be implemented on the ground.
Questioning the repeated discrimination against Jammu, Sharma said, “Why does the Jammu region always have to agitate and protest for what is rightfully its share? The people of Jammu are being forced to fight for every legitimate right.”
He also raised serious questions over the role of the three Cabinet ministers from the Jammu division in the NC-led Government. Sharma said that these ministers are sitting silently in the Cabinet while the interests of Jammu are being systematically ignored.
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