E-Paper
HP govt de-notifies health institutions, revenue offices opened after April 1
The notification to de-notify all such health institutions— civil hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres— was issued late on Tuesday by principal secretary (health) Subhashish Panda
A day after closing 32 state electricity board offices, the Himachal Pradesh government has now de-notified all health institutions and revenue offices opened or upgraded after April 1, 2022.
The notification to de-notify all such health institutions— civil hospitals, community health centres and primary health centres— was issued late on Tuesday by principal secretary (health) Subhashish Panda.
Around 180 health institutions opened during the reign of the BJP government will come under the ambit of the new notification. The revenue department offices de-notified, include tehsils, sub-tehsils, kanungo circles, and patwar circles.
After storming to power in the state, the Congress government led by chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had decided to review the decisions taken by the BJP regime. This included offices of different departments and institutions opened across the state, besides the extension and re-employment given to different officers.
Earlier, the state government had ordered the shutting down of 12 division offices, 17 sub-division and three operation circles of the Himachal Pradesh State Electricity Board. Besides, the centre of excellence of the horticulture department opened under the HP subtropical horticulture, irrigation, and value addition (HPSHIVA) project at Dharampur in Mandi district.
However, the government has decided not to close down the educational institutions opened in the fag end of the BJP regime and has said that a decision in this regard would be taken after consulting all stakeholders.
BJP accuses Congress of vendetta politics
Meanwhile, upset over the closure of the offices and institutions, the BJP has been accusing the Sukhu government of resorting to vendetta politics.
Former chief minister Jairam Thakur said that upon coming to power in 2017, the BJP had not resorted to vendetta politics or overturned the decisions taken by the Congress government. “The Congress government has set a wrong precedent and we will move court against it,” said Thakur.
However, the Congress government has refuted the allegation. CM Sukhu has said that the previous government had notified the offices and institutions without any budgetary provision for the same.
A five-member committee of MLAs formed by the new government to scrutinise the records found that only notifications were made, and no offices exited on ground.
