JIPMER commitee members to meet leaders in Delhi

Puducherry, Oct 14 (UNI) A delegation from the Jipmer Anti-Conversion Peoples Action Committee is visiting New Delhi tomorrow to meet political party leaders including the Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi to press for the reversal of the decision to grant autonomy to JIPMER.

Addressing a press meet here today, former CPI(M) state secretary T Murugan, who is the commitee president, said they would meet the leaders between October 16 and 18. BJP leader L K Advani and some others had given appointments to the committees representatives.

Mr Murugan said neither JIPMER employees nor the committee had any objection to raising the status of JIPMER on par with AIIMS. But they wanted status quo to be maintained and enhancement in the present set up. More funds should be allotted for this purpose.

He said the 'Dhanvanthri Hospital' (present JIPMER) was donated by the French regime and there was an international agreement not to change its status. The committee would never allow JIPMER to become an 'annex' of the hospital proposed to be set up by Union Health Minister Dr Anbumani Ramdoss.

He charged that the JIPMER Director had not implemented court orders to consider reinstatement of five employees who were terminated. He was adopting delaying tacts by sending the proposal to Dr Ramadoss, amounting to contempt of court, Mr Murugan added.

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