'You Have Money For Statue, But Not For Patients': Bombay High Court Raps Maharashtra Government Over Hospitals Fund Freeze
The Bombay High Court on Thursday hit out at the Maharashtra government while hearing a PIL to release grants by the state and BMC to the twin Wadia hospitals.
Mumbai, January 17: The Bombay High Court on Thursday hit out at the Maharashtra government while hearing a PIL to release grants by the state and BMC to the twin Wadia hospitals. Referring to the state government's decision to raise the cost of Dr B R Ambedkar's statue, the Bombay High Court sought to know why the state does not have money for patients when it has for the statue. The state government on Wednesday raised the cost of the Ambedkar memorial project at Dadar’s Indu Mills to Rs 1,070 crore. Treat All Citizens, Whether Rich or Poor, With Dignity: Bombay High Court.
"For that (statue), money is there, but the same people Ambedkar represented all his life can die. They need medical aid or statues?" the bench of Justices Satyaranjan Dharmadhikari and Riyaz Chagla was quoted by TOI as saying. The High Court also took a dig at Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray who on Wednesday launched the first girder of the Mumbai Trans-Harbour Link. "You have time to inaugurate schemes…time to go and inaugurate a bridge which is yet to be built. We are thankful to the CM for finding time to meet them (all stakeholders)," Justice Dharmadhikari said. Bombay High Court Gives Green Signal to Beach Shacks in Goa.
When Advocate Girish Godbole, representing the state government, said that Rs 24 crore has been sanctioned and the amount will be given in lumpsum within three weeks, Justice Dharmadhikari called it "eyewash". "This, to materialize, will take months. Tomorrow this amount should be released," he said. "From the state chief secretary to the deputy secretary, we will parade everyone here (in court). You want that," he told Godbole.
Advocate Suresh Pakale, representing the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation or BMC said that its balance payment is over Rs 14 crore towards the children’s hospital, and it will release it. “Common man you can take for a ride. Not us,” Justice Dharmadhikari said. Senior advocate Rafiq Dada, for the hospitals, said that they were unable to take critical patients and salaries of employees were due.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 17, 2020 09:36 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).