Locals stage protest ascharitable hosp ‘shuts’

Shimla: Local residents on Wednesday staged a dharna outside the Radha Soami Charitable Hospital in Bhota of Himachal Pradesh’s Hamirpur district against the decision to close the hospital.As the state govt is yet to take a final call regarding transfer of land — that lies at the heart of the matter — they have decided to carry out protests daily from 11 am to 4 pm.The 75-bed hospital on the Hamirpur-Shimla highway operational for the last 24 years offers free medical services to the patients of the district.On Wednesday, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) legislators Ashish Sharma and Inder Dutt Lakahnpal interacted with the protesters and talked to the hospital management. Radha Soami Satsang Beas had earlier requested the state govt for the transfer of its charitable hospital’s land to its sister organisation as it was not able to get the goods and services tax exemption while purchasing hospital equipment for its upgradation. Following the delay from the state govt, the organisation pasted a notice on the hospital’s main gate announcing that it would stop its healthcare services from Dec 1.Initially, local residents and people from adjoining villages held protests on Monday. Chief minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu had on Monday (Nov 25) said that the hospital’s case is in state govt knowledge and it was “considering bringing an ordinance” for making provision in the Himachal Pradesh Ceiling on Land Holding Act, 1972 to transfer the land. The BJP MLAs, on Wednesday, requested the protesters not to block the road and protest in a peaceful manner. They said the state govt should not hesitate in the transfer of land “since the organisation is providing charitable healthcare services to the local residents”.

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