Shimla, February 15 – Himachal Pradesh opposition leader Jairam Thakur criticised the Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu-led state government on Sunday, saying it had ruined major projects, such as the Centre's medical device park, which would have helped improve the state's economy, due to stubbornness, corruption, and gross mismanagement.
"If this government had completed the Nalagarh Medical Device Park on time, it would have been a 'game-changer' for Himachal Pradesh. But due to its political animosity, the Sukhu government has sacrificed the interests of the state," said Jairam Thakur, a leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and former Chief Minister, in a statement.
Quoting examples, Thakur said that besides Nalagarh, such parks are also being developed in three other states.
"Companies have been allocated plots on the Yamuna Expressway (Uttar Pradesh), and advanced technology companies are investing in Ujjain (Madhya Pradesh) and Kanchipuram (Tamil Nadu), and they are working towards making the country self-reliant in medical equipment by creating investment opportunities for companies manufacturing devices such as ventilators and pacemakers."
"However, in Himachal Pradesh, the project (medical device), procured by our previous BJP government after intense competition, is now in jeopardy due to the government's intransigence. The Union government, led by Narendra Modi, has even released the first installment of Rs 30 crore for the project, which the state government has returned."
"Now, despite a target of completion in March 2025, the situation on the ground remains bleak, leaving an investment of Rs 10,000 crore and 15,000 direct employment opportunities hanging in limbo," Thakur added.
The Leader of the Opposition expressed concern over the deteriorating health services in the state, saying that the public's wellbeing has been "completely compromised" due to the Himcare scheme, which has been stalled 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 treatment 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.
Thakur, a BJP leader, said it was ironic that while the state government was unable to pay, major hospitals like Indira Gandhi Medical College were exploiting the public by increasing the prices of special wards, Magnetic Resonance Imagings, and abdominal scans.