Chennai: The Madras high court has directed the Additional Government Pleader to get instructions as to whether air ambulance or any other alternate medical facilities shall be provided to the people of Ooty by the government to be used by them during medical emergencies, till the implementation of the proposal for construction of a multi-specialty hospital cum medical college in Ooty.
A division bench comprising Justices N.Kirubakaran and P.Velmurugan gave the directive while passing further interim orders on an appeal filed by the Madras Race Club.
The bench said though the issue pertains to the surrendering of 4.5 acres of land possessed by the Madras Race Club, this court incidentally is also taking up the issues of providing infrastructural facilities like setting up Master sewage plant at Coonoor, bio-mining and also measures to prevent and control the pollution in Ooty especially in Ooty lakes. It is brought to the notice of this court that even though Ooty is the headquarters of Nilgiris district, there is no proper medical facilities for the people due to which many lives are lost and for medical emergencies, the people have to come down to Coimbatore which would take about three hours time, the bench added.
The bench said therefore, this court directed Additional government pleader V.Anandha Moorthy, to ascertain as to whether any proposal has been sent to the government for constructing Multi-specialty hospital in Ooty. At this juncture, Advocate Mohan, who has been practicing before this court for a very long time and a native of Ooty submitted that a proposal has been mooted by the government for construction of a Multi-specialty Hospital cum Medical College in the land in which the Hindustan Photo Film factory was functioning before it was shut down. The government shall take into consideration of the said proposal so that the same shall be implemented at the earliest. “In the meanwhile, till the implementation of the said proposal, Additional government pleader has to get instructions as to whether Air Ambulance or any other alternate medical facilities shall be provided to the people of Ooty by the government to be used by them during medical emergencies”, the bench added and posted to October 4, further hearing of the case.
