Residents of Sringeri are up in arms demanding a 100-bed super speciality hospital in the temple town. Keeping political affiliations aside, they have called for a bandh on Friday. Many people connected to the town have extended support for the protest through social media platforms.
The Its population is around 40,000. The residents of villages in the taluk and those in neighbouring Koppa and N.R.Pura are dependant on the 30-bed taluk hospital in the town. However, the facilities at the hospital are insufficient to treat emergency cases.
Naveen Karuvane, a leader of Raitha Sangha, told The Hindu that four months ago a woman of his village had consumed poison. With no facility in Sringeri, she was taken to McGann Hospital in Shivamogga. “The woman did not survive. The doctors who treated her said that it was too late by the time she reached the hospital. If she had been given proper treatment at Sringeri, she should have been alive”, he said.
For many years the people have been demanding upgradation of the existing hospital and a new hospital in the town. If there is any health emergency, the people have to go to either Manipal or Shivamogga, both about 100 km from Sringeri.
All pro-people organisations have given a call for the bandh. “This is an apolitical event. People from all political parties have joined hands in the interest of the town. The State Government should respond to the demand and build a hospital”, said R. Shabareesh, a resident of the town. The organisations have appealed to the shopkeepers and businessmen to support the bandh. Many people, native of Sringeri, settled in different places, have posted videos on Facebook extending their support to the bandh.
Meanwhile, former Minister and political secretary to Chief Minister D.N. Jeevaraj, has said that the town had not got the hospital as Sringeri MLA T.D. Raje Gowda had been ‘inactive’. He also said he would get the hospital sanctioned if the MLA “admitted his failure”.
