BJP supports doctors demand to abolish conversion charges

New Delhi, June 26 (UNI) Supporting the demands of the doctors of the capital, BJP Delhi Pradesh President Harsh Vardhan today said that if conversion fee and new parking fee are not abolished completely then health services of the capital shall be paralysed.

Talking to newspersons here, Dr Harshvardhan said,''the decision to impose this fee is despotic. It will lead to obstruction in trade and further increase the price spiral.'' He said the conversion fee and parking fee being imposed on the service providers, traders of Delhi etc. by the Union Urban Development Ministry is ''impractical and unreasonable.'' ''The people who pay three times higher property tax to the Government in lieu of providing about two dozen services such as doctors, clinics, advocates, architects, offices, catering shops etc, it would be excessive to recover another tax from them.

There is no such system in any State of India,''he said.

The BJP Pradesh President told that there are about 1000 Nursing Homes and 15000 doctor clinics and labs in Delhi.

80 per cent of the health services of the capital is under private sector.

''The work which the Government cannot do is being undertaken by the private sector. If these services are disturbed by arbitrary taxes, then the health services of the capital will be paralysed and the lives of the people of Delhi shall be in danger.

Doctors and medical professionals have called a protest against imposition of conversion charges.

''There is so much acrimony among the doctors and traders against conversion fee and parking fee that they have decided to stage protest demonstration at Raj Ghat by closing all health services of the capital tomorrow. The Corporate hospitals are also participating in this strike,''the BJP Delhi Chief said.

Dr Harshvardhan said that if a doctor is providing health services on a 50 metre plot then he will have to pay Rs 66,000 annually as parking fee. If a Nursing Home is operating on a 300 metre land then it will have to pay Rs nine lakh rupees as parking fee annually, although the parking slot may be two kilometres away from the Nursing Home.

Those people who are running clinics in their houses are being charged three times higher property tax in the name of factor-2, then what is the justification of recovering conversion fee in addition, he sought to know.

''Any fee which is imposed on the doctors, traders etc. will be recovered from the general public. In this condition the health services shall become more costly. It will be difficult for a poor man to live,''he said and demanded that the Government grant exemption in the property tax as an encouragement to the people providing health services in the private sector.

''In place of doing so they are being imposed with converstion fee and parking fee which is not justified. The Central Government should be considerate and should abolish both the fees immediately so that Delhi may be saved,''Dr Harshvardhan said.

UNI