BHUBANESWAR | Sunday, November 22, 2009 | Email | Print |  | Back
Demand for ESIC college in Rourkela gets stronger
Pioneer News Service | Rourkela
Despite declaration of the date for laying the foundation stone for the much-awaited ESIC Medical College and Hospital in Bhubaneswar, the residents of Rourkela have not lost hope at all. Rather they have embarked on a mission to put pressure on both the Central and State Governments to shift the location to Rourkela.
The Action Committee for Establishment of ESIC Medical College and Hospital held a demonstration in front of the Sub-Collector’s Office here demanding to set up the proposed institution in Rourkela. Earlier a rally was held from Ambedkar Chowk to the Sub-Collector’s Office. Among others, CITU State general secretary Bishnu Mohanty, senior advocate and president of Rourkela Press Club Muralidhar Parija, Gobardhan Pujari, former MLA and Congress leader Prabhat Mohapatra, president of Rourkela Chamber of Commerce and Industries Subrat Patnaik, CITU leaders Jahangir Alli and Biman Maity, and CPM leaders Surendra Das and Rajkishore Pradhan participated in the demonstration.
They said that the proposed medical college should be set up in Rourkela as more than 75% of ESI beneficiaries belong to western Odisha in general and Rourkela in particular. The speakers urged the elected representatives of western Odisha to stand by their demand and put pressure on the Government irrespective of their party affiliations.
If the Government still lends a deaf ear to their demands they threatened a massive demonstration by the beneficiaries of ESI. A memorandum in this effect was submitted to the President of India through the Sub-Collector, Rourkela, and copies of which were sent to the Prime Minister and the Odisha Chief Minister.
The memorandum to the President, who is coming to Bhubaneswar to lay the foundation stone on December 9, stated that the ESIC, under the Government of India, Ministry of Labour, decided in principle to establish 12 ESI Super Specialty Hospital and Medical Colleges in different States of India. Odisha, which is a backward State, especially in health sector, got one college for which the entire funding will be made by the ESI Corporation.
The said fund is the accumulation of surplus and unutilised money of insured persons (IPs) working in different industries and establishments in the country. It is therefore necessary that such medical college and hospital ought to be set up in such a place where more number of IPs and poor working class people of unorganised sector are living so that they get proper healthcare, the memorandum stated.
Meanwhile, non-resident Odias (NROs) also represented our memorandum to different Central and State Government authorities. But unfortunately, a decision has now been taken to open the said institution in Bhubaneswar where there are already about 10 medical colleges and hospitals and several reputed medical establishments where only 5% of the IPs of ESIC are residing, the memorandum pointed out.
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