BOKAKHAT, July 25 � Health and Education Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma visited the 30-bed Bokakhat Hospital and the Kaziranga Model Hospital on Tuesday. The minister met Health officials and members of the public to take stock of the ongoing construction works and other problems plaguing the two health institutions.
Sarma assured of providing all facilities to the hospitals and instructed the authorities concerned to complete the boundary wall of the model hospital. After visiting the Bokakhat Hospital, he addressed reporters here and promised to upgrade the Bokakhat Hospital into a 100-bed healthcare institution. The minister said that he would visit the Bokakhat Hospital again after three months. Fulfilling his past commitments, Sarma ordered for a new generator for the hospital and also released an amount of Rs 20 lakh to the Kamargaon Hospital for infrastructure development. The ultrasound facility will be activated soon, he said, adding that if pregnant women have to purchase medicines from outside government hospitals, the authorities will have to bear the entire cost of the medicines.
The minister criticised the All Assam Students� Union, saying that it was competing with a particular organisation in staging agitations. The AASU and that particular organisation are always engaged in promoting themselves. Sarma, however, did not disclose the name of the other organisation despite being prompted.
Referring to the removal of the SEBA chairman, the minister said that the matter belonged to the Government, not AASU. He, however sought reforms in some policies of the SEBA.
Supporting the demand of senior legislator SC Borkotoky and other MLAs for reshuffle of the State Cabinet by dropping inefficient ministers, Sarma said that the government machinery has to be made more active.
Speaking on the provincialisation of higher secondary schools and colleges, the minister said that the process of provincialisation of secondary schools would be completed within August 15 and that of colleges would be completed within the month of September. In response to a question, Sarma said that due to non-qualification of candidates in the examination held for regularising posts, 155 schools are running with a single teacher each and five other schools have no teacher at all in Golaghat district. This crisis will be temporarily removed soon and permanently resolved by December. The minister sought the cooperation of teachers and public.
The Lekhika Samaroh Samity, Bokakhat and AJYCP unit of Bokakhat separately submitted memoranda, enlisting the major problems and difficulties faced by the local people.
