DCRPC volunteers, GS taken to custody

Tiruchirapalli, Sep 27 (UNI) Hundreds of volunteers of the Deccan Consumers Rights Protection Council (DCRPC), including state General Secretary Bharatha Raja were taken into custody by the police when they attempted to launch ''fast unto death'' agitation in front of the Government Headquarters Hospital here today.

Mr Bharatha Raja told newspersons that the agitation was to draw the attention of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi about not honouring his commitment to upgrade the government headquarters hospital here.

He said the previous NDA Government led by A B Vajpayee had chosen this hospital for upgradation on par with All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMSs), at an estimated cost of Rs 110 crore.

He said a delegation of the Council had met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Chief Minister Karunanidhi about the scheme being allotted to Salem due to political reasons at the behest of Union Health Minister. They assured DCRPC that a new upgradation scheme would be sanctioned soon for improvement of the proposed hospital here. But both the assurances were not implemented till now.

UNI