Karnataka Govt Not Paying Heed to Water Shortage, Says R Ashoka
By : Gururaj A Paniyadi
Update: 2024-06-21 05:12 GMT
Kalaburagi, June 20: Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly R Ashoka who visited the Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) and Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research in Kalaburagi, blamed the state government for not paying attention to the water shortage due to which surgeries were not performed between June 16 and 18.
“Jayadeva is renowned for its healthcare services, yet from June 16 to 18, no surgeries were conducted due to a lack of water supply. This highlights the state government's neglect and failure. The government should have been aware of this situation within 24 hours. To date, no Minister has visited the hospital,” Ashoka told reporters.
“Karnataka is known for its achievements in IT, technology, space, and healthcare. People from other countries come to Jayadeva for treatment,” he said.
“There was no water for the operation theatre and patients. This is unbelievable. Even if the government had purchased water through tankers, it would have cost Rs 20 lakh. Can’t this government allocate that amount for healthcare? Is the government even functioning?” he questioned.
“The Chief Minister has held no review meeting, and the Deputy Chief Minister is already preparing for elections. For them, elections are more important than people's lives,” he alleged.
“Water and power should be provided with priority to hospitals. However, the government seems to be playing with people's lives, appearing to be in the ICU itself,” he mocked.
Ashoka also pointed out incidents of water contamination in the state. “About 15 people have lost their lives. There was an incident in the Chief Minister’s Varuna constituency as well. In a meeting, the CM had warned that the Deputy Commissioner and the Chief Executive Officer would be suspended if there was any water contamination in their jurisdiction. However, none of them have been suspended till now,” he said.