Shimla, Feb 15 (IANS) Himachal Pradesh Opposition leader Jairam Thakur, on Sunday, criticised the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu government-led state government, saying it has ruined mega projects like a medical device park of the Centre that would help improving state’s economy, owing to stubbornness, corruption and gross mismanagement.

“If this government had completed a project like the Nalagarh Medical Device Park on time, it would have proved to be a ‘game changer’ for Himachal Pradesh. But due to its political animosity, the Sukhu government has sacrificed the interests of the state,” Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and former Chief Minister Thakur said in a statement.

Quoting instances, Opposition leader Thakur said that apart from Nalagarh, such parks are in progress in three other states.

“Plots have been allotted to companies on the Yamuna Expressway (Uttar Pradesh) and advanced technology companies are investing in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) and Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu) and they are moving forward towards making the country self-reliant in medical equipment by creating investment opportunities for companies manufacturing devices like ventilators and pacemakers.”

“However, in Himachal Pradesh, the project (medical device) procured by our previous BJP government after fierce competition is now hanging in balance owing to the government’s intransigence. The Narendra Modi-led Union government has even released the first installment of Rs 30 crore for the project, which the state government returned.”

“Now, despite a target of its completion in March 2025, the situation on the ground remains a sham, leaving an investment of Rs 10,000 crore and 15,000 direct employment opportunities hanging in limbo,” Opposition leader Thakur added.

The Leader of the Opposition expressed concern over the state’s deteriorating health services, saying that the public’s wellbeing has been “completely robbed” with the state-run health scheme Himcare has been stooped due to pending liabilities of Rs 400 crore, Rs 250 crore for Ayushman Bharat and Rs 120 crore for the Sahara scheme.

“Vendors have stopped supplying surgical supplies and medicines due to unpaid payments, delaying operations for poor patients. Patients suffering from serious illnesses like cancer are forced to purchase injections and medicines costing thousands of rupees from outside,” he said.

BJP leader Thakur said it was ironic that while the state government was unable to pay, major hospitals like Indira Gandhi Medical College were robbing the people by increasing the prices of special wards, Magnetic Resonance Imagings, and abdominal scans.

–IANS

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