It looks like a clash of titans has broken out in the Health Department.
Director of Health Services (MI) Dr. Aman War has slammed Principal Secretary (Health), Sampath Kumar for seeking explanation from him on the eviction of the Indian Institute of Public Health (IIPH) from the Health Department’s office at Lawmali here.
It may be mentioned that a local English daily had carried a story stating that Dr. War led a team of officials on May 27 to evict the IIPH from the old NIFT campus at Pasteur Institute which belongs to the Health Department.
It was also reported that Kumar had sought explanation from Dr. War for evicting the IIPH without serving a formal notice.
However, today Dr. War said that “the accusation is one thing and the reality is something else”.
“On May 27, I received a call from the Project Director of the Meghalaya AIDS Control Society (MACS) wherein with a shaky voice she had informed that there is a person, who had verbally abused her and her deputy director when they had gone to the old NIFT campus to find that the room which was allotted by me was forced opened. Immediately I rushed to the spot in spite of me having the MMSA conference. On reaching the old NIFT campus at Pasteur Institute, I found that the NIFT campus rooms were being used by persons who were initially unknown and had asked them under whose permission have you occupied these rooms,” Dr. War said.
He also said he went to the NIFT campus on May 27, not with outsiders but with officers of the Health Department.
The DHS also said that the Project Director of MACS had initially written a letter to him in the first week of May asking for permission to use the rooms at NIFT old campus and accordingly that approval also was granted by him in writing.
“So they (MACS) had gone and locked the door and it was only on May 27, they found that the door was forced open. I asked the people who were occupying the rooms to immediately vacate the place because in front of the campus there is already a sign which says that this property is under the DHS (MI) and no trespassers are allowed,” Dr. War said.
“The allegation saying that I had gone and misbehaved and spoke rudely is concocted and false. I went there as the Director of Health Services and I spoke as the Director of Health Services,” he added.
Dr. War also stated that during his visit to the spot he found Dr. Jamir, posing as the Registrar of IIPH.
“Dr. Jamir informed that the rooms are allotted by the Principal Secretary (Health) Sampath Kumar. Since I have never received such information, I know that this is false. So I have asked them to vacate and have sealed the place and that the rooms have to be used by the Project Director, MACS temporarily,” Dr. War said.
“That Dr. Jamir had verbally abused the two doctors of MACS – Project Director and the Deputy Director – was unbecoming and he being a very junior doctor should have understood the seniority status of the Project Director and Deputy Director, MACS,” Dr. War said.
He also said the NIFT campus which is the old Malaria office is under the Director of Health Services, who is in charge of all medical institutions in the State.
According to Dr. War, letters were being communicated from the Directorate of Health Services to the government back and forth on the usage of this particular campus and it has even reached a stage where the Health Department had allotted the old NIFT building to NHM.
“The questions of IIPH occupying the rooms hence do not arise,” Dr. War said adding that IIPH had occupied the rooms without the knowledge of the Director of Health Services (MI) and this tantamount to trespassing and it was a fit case for lodging of FIR against IIPH.
“It (filing of FIR) was not done so because Dr. Jamir was known to me and he had also in front of me vacated very calmly the rooms although he had earlier misbehaved with the Project Director and Deputy Director, MACS,” Dr. War said adding, “It was surprising that Dr. Jamir had issued a press statement saying that I had rudely asked them to vacate and that in the news headline it appeared that I had made the IIPH, Shillong homeless.”
Dr. War also said that IIPH was still occupying the much needed rooms of the office of the Deputy Director of Malaria to run the so-called university.
“IIPH wanted to set up a university in the State and were also awarded with 20 acres of land at Mawdiangdiang but as they failed to utilise the land it was taken back from them by the Urban Affairs Department. Had it been a very sincere and well run university, the 20 acres of land would have been well utilised?” Dr. War said.
On the news report that the Principal Secretary (Health) had sought explanation from him on the matter, Dr. War said he was surprised as to how the senior official had already given the verdict that the procedure adopted was wrong.
“For people who trespass, is it wrong to ask them to vacate immediately? Is it correct and justified for the Principal Secretary to pass a verdict without knowing the full facts of what really happened on May 27 at NIFT campus?” Dr. War asked.
Further, he said that the explanation letter called by the government has not reached the DHS till date.
“Today evening I went to my office to check if such a letter has been dispatched by the Health Department. There was no such letter.
Stating that the DHS (MI) is a senior officer of the government and is vested with certain powers to function in the health set up, Dr. War said, “I have exercise that power on May 27 and if such exercise had been wrong my part why the Principal Secretary did not contact or summon me. Something is not right here.”
The DHS said that he will await the explanation call letter from the Health Department and will reply accordingly.
Finally, Dr. War said that the allegations made by Sampath Kumar are a stigma on him as he has rendered more than 33 years of service to the government and is on the verge of retirement at the end of June.
