Gwalior: A bizarre case has once again brought Gwalior district, Madhya Pradesh, into the spotlight. A Rural Based Health Officer is made a Municipal Councillor and deemed to be duly appointed as the Health Officer of the Municipal Corporation. The matter was taken up by the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which also strongly criticised the functioning of the municipal administration.
Such an inappropriate appointment by the MP government, the Animal Husbandry Department and the Gwalior Municipal Corporation has been dealt with heavily by the High Court. Rising incidents of dog bites had seriously concerned the court and questioned the administration’s efficiency. ‘The bench said, ‘You are only working on paper, enjoying the benefits, while innocent children are going on to be mauled by stray dogs every day.’
It has also demanded an exhaustive list of names of officials working on deputation doing similar jobs. Dr Anuradha Gupta challenged the appointment of a veterinary doctor, Anuj Sharma, as the Health Officer. Regulations, however, permit a health officer in a municipal corporation only who is a graduate of an MBBS.
This case is set for hearing again on April 3. In the meantime, a few such cases of dog bites have been reported in the city in recent times, even including tragic ones where children died. As a result, public anger against the indifference of the municipal corporation and ineffective action in the past has been increasing.
It has made irregular appointments and such general negligence in handling public health and safety concerns public matters for the court to intervene. With the High Court’s strong approach, the citizens hope that with such a strict stance, the authorities would be forced to do something about it and appoint only professionally qualified people to important public health positions.
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