Kochi: In his latest bid to get an international cancer centre for Kochi, Justice V R Krishna Iyer has directly written to Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh seeking his personal intervention to facilitate the project for Kochi.
The letter has been shot off in the wake of the announcement by Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad here recently to allocate a mere Rs 45 crore from the Centre for the Kochi cancer centre.
“A malignant calamity has gripped the state of Kerala in the shape of an aggravating disease like cancer throwing the people into despair, not knowing how they can claim the right to life guaranteed as a fundamental right under Article 14 of the Constitution. This terrible menace can be countered only by one means, namely establishment of a great cancer hospital of international stature with tremendous research facilities and thereby giving access to the masses without resources,” Justice Iyer in opening remarks of the letter said.
Krishna Iyer pointed out the positive stand taken by the state Chief Minister Oommen Chandy to the request to set up the cancer centre and said, “The grand promise of the Chief Minister (to set up the cancer centre) required enormous resources which demanded schemes to be operated jointly by the little state of Kerala with massive assistance from the Central Government. An intelligent, democratic and responsive Centre would, we all expected, be forthcoming. The federal responsibility of the national administration in Delhi would, we felt, as they did in Haryana, come forward with a grand gesture, similar in dimensions and sensitive creativity,” he added.
In a fervent appeal Krishna Iyer added: “Fail us not dear Prime Minister. As your term is expiring, never, never let us down,” adding in his concluding line.
