Only 162 of the 1,000 mohalla clinics promised by the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government had been opened so far, Health Minister Satyendar Jain told the Assembly on Thursday.
On the third day of the four-day Assembly session, the mohalla clinics project became the grounds for a heated blame game between AAP and BJP MLAs.
‘AAP’s failure’
While the AAP MLAs blamed the BJP-led Central government of preventing the project, the BJP legislators hit back saying that it was the AAP government’s own failure. “There were four or five Cabinet notes regarding the different aspects of the mohalla clinics project. I thought that the Lieutenant-Governor had cleared them, but then officials told me that all the notes had not been cleared,” said Mr. Jain, replying to a query raised during the Question Hour. Mr. Jain added that 53 new mohalla clinics would be opened soon.
Thefts at clinic
Earlier, the AAP MLAs raised concerns about the existing mohalla clinics. Mehrauli MLA Naresh Yadav said that at a mohalla clinic in Lado Sarai, there had been two thefts — once of an air-conditioner and the other time of an LCD television.
Referring to the statements made by the AAP MLAs, the BJP MLAs pointed out that the problems in the mohalla clinics were being highlighted by the ruling party itself.
Leader of Opposition Vijender Gupta even asked why the files were sent to the L-G. Irate, Mr. Jain said: “Why don’t you go to the L-G and have the files cleared?” Speaker Ram Niwas Goel also waded into the debate, telling Mr. Gupta that MLAs from both parties should call on Lieutenant-Governor Anil Baijal to have the matter sorted out in public interest.