Day after HC rap, ECI revokes restrictions on med essentials

Nagpur: A day after being reprimanded by Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court for being insensitive towards citizens’ medical emergency needs, the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Thursday withdrew its circular which prohibited supply of essential medicines and equipment to the Government Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), Nagpur.
Earlier, ECI counsel Neerja Choube submitted a letter by ECI secretary SK Das to the HC indicating Commission’s no objection to the proposals for which Government Resolutions are to be issued by the respondents.
“In supersession of the Commission’s letter of May 7, I am directed to refer to the reference received through the Maharashtra Medical Education and Drugs Department on the subject cited and to convey that in compliance with the HC directives, ECI has no objection to the proposal contained therein, subject to the condition that there shall be no mention in this regard by anyone to gain political mileage in any way,” the ECI secretary’s letter mentioned.
Immediately after ECI’s decision, the Maharashtra government implemented its government resolution of May 7 and released ₹26 crore for purchasing a Tesla MRI machine and ₹13 crore for constructing eight waiting rooms for patients’ relatives on the GMCH premises.