Allahabad High Court (file photo).
The Allahabad High Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary why setting up of AIIMS in Prayagraj is not necessary. Additional Chief Standing Advocate AK Goyal assured the court that information about the order would be given to the Chief Secretary. Through its earlier order, the court sought information from senior advocate Shashi Prakash Singh, Additional Solicitor General of the Central Government, about the reality of setting up AIIMS at Prayagraj. He sought time to file an affidavit regarding the ground reality and the stand of the central government. On which the PIL was ordered to be presented for hearing on October 17.
A division bench of Justice MK Gupta and Justice Manish Kumar Nigam passed the order while hearing a PIL filed by Sahaj Sarathi Foundation and others. Advocate Satyendra Chandra Tripathi argued the petition. He says that only one AIIMS has been set up in Purvanchal in the last 10 years. The population of the state has grown rapidly. In such a situation it is necessary to establish an institute like AIIMS in Prayagraj.
There is no big hospital in Prayagraj
Prayagraj has connectivity in all directions by road and rail. There is no hospital with high facilities. Citing information from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, the Additional Solicitor General said that in 2014-15, four AIIMS were announced to be set up in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal, Maharashtra and Purvanchal in Uttar Pradesh. In the budget for the year 2015-16, the establishment of seven new AIIMS was announced.
No new AIIMS will be created in UP as of now
AIIMS have been established in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Himachal Pradesh, Assam and Bihar. In the year 2017-18, two AIIMS were established in Gujarat and Jharkhand. A new AIIMS was established in Haryana in the budget of the year 2019-20. AIIMS has been established in Gorakhpur in the budget of 2014-15. Additional Solicitor General and Advocate for Government of India Sanjay Kumar Om said that after the establishment of AIIMS in Purvanchal, the central government has not given any plan for any new AIIMS in the state.
The Chief Secretary asked to produce the records
The High Court said that the increase in population in the last 10 years has put a lot of pressure on the medical facilities. On which a report was sought from the central government on the ground reality of setting up AIIMS at Prayagraj, but it seems that no assessment has been done. On which time was sought from the central government to file an affidavit. The court has also asked the chief secretary of the state to produce the records. Also asked the Chief Secretary why an institute like AIIMS should not be set up in Prayagraj. The next hearing of the application will be on October 17.