Failure to set up AIIMS has villagers fuming

REWARI: The failure of the state government to set up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences AIIMS in Manethi village near here over three years after an announcement made in this regard by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has left residents of over 20 villages fuming

Updated At : 05:59 AM Sep 10, 2018 IST

Residents of various villages hold a mahapanchayat in Rewari’s Manethi village on Sunday. Tribune Photo

Ravinder Saini

Tribune News Service

Rewari, September 9

The failure of the state government to set up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Manethi village near here over three years after an announcement made in this regard by Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar has left residents of over 20 villages fuming.

The villagers today organised a mahapanchayat in Manethi over the issue and announced to launch a struggle for getting the plan to set up AIIMS executed. The mahapanchayat, presided over by Manethi sarpanch Shayotaj Yadav resolved to form a sangharsh samiti to chalk out a strategy for mounting pressure on the state government in this regard.

The mahapanchayat that lasted for over three hours also accused the state government of committing discrimination with Ahirwal by not materialising the announcement even after three hours.

“The announcement had kindled a hope among locals about the availability of ultra-modern healthcare facilities in the region on establishing AIIMS but the hope could not sustain for long due to the lethargic attitude of the state government towards it. We have waited for over three years but will now not sit calmly and raise the issue forcefully,” said Yadav, adding that acute resentment prevailed among people of the Ahirwal region against the government over the issue.

He claimed that people from five villages of Rajasthan and several of Mahendragarh districts located adjacent to Rewari district also attended the mahapanchayat and expressed their solidarity with them on this issue as they would be able to get medical aid if AIIMS was established here. “We will not hesitate to launch an indefinite fast to get the decision of the government implemented,” said Yadav.

Sources said the CM had announced to set up AIIMS in Manethi while addressing a rally in Bawal town here on July 4, 2015. The government-run health centres in the region are lacking modern healthcare facilities, making people either to go to AIIMS in Delhi and PGIMS in Rohtak or move to private hospitals in Gurgaon where they have to pay hefty fee for the treatment.