Hyderabad: The Hyderabad High Court has sought the response of the governments of TS and AP for dispensing with the services of NGOs operating Urban Health Centres located in the two states.
Society for National Integration through Rural Development of Prakasam district, Society for National Integration of Nellore district in AP and Urban Mahila Development Society in Wanaparthy of Mahbubnagar in TS moved the High Court separately, challenging the proceedings issued by the authorities in UHCs operating their services.
The petitioners from AP informed the court that the AP government issued a GO in April 2016 for dispensing with the services of NGOs operating 194 Urban Health Centres in the state. They said that based on the GO, collectors of Prakasam and Nellore districts issued notices to relieving them from running of the UHCs.
The petitioners told the court that the Centre has approved upgradation of all existing 193 UHCs as Urban Primary Health Centres in 2014-15 and 2015-16 under the National Urban Health Mission. As part of the upgradation, each UPHC is provided with additional human resources including medical officer, staff nurse, lab-technician, pharmacist, ministerial assistance and supporting staff to work in UPHCs and five ANMs provided for one UPHC for providing community services.
The petitioner from Mahbubnagar district told the court that the district medical officers passed an order terminating their services without notifying them. The petitioners alleged that the governments of both the states were now trying to hand over the services to private players in the guise of upgrading the services.
The court, while staying the notices issued by the collectors of Nellore and Prakasam districts; and also the order passed by the Mahbubnagar district medical officer, directed the two governments to spell out their stands through counter affidavits within four weeks.
Bench refers plea on public hearing back to single judge
A division bench comprising Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar and Justice T. Sunil Chowdary of the Hyderabad High Court on Wednesday referred a petition back to the single judge asking him to hear afresh the question whether a public sector employee can participate in public hearings of TS Electricity Regulatory Commission and raise his voice against the decisions of the authorities.
The bench was dealing with an appeal by K. Raghu, a superintendent engineer in the Transmission Corporation of TS in Warangal, questioning the decision of a single judge in declining to order the authorities to permit him participate in the forthcoming public hearing of TSERC.
The TSERC had on February 9, 2016, issued an advisory to Transco and Discoms asking them not to allow their employees to participate in its public hearings without prior approval from the higher authorities.
Pursuant to the advice from the TSREC, Transco issued a circular on February 17 asking its employees not to participate in such meets without prior approval.
When Mr Raghu questioned the advisory before the High Court, a single judge declined to pass an interim direction. He then preferred the appeal before the bench. The bench referred the matter to the single judge for fresh hearing stating that there was need to give reasoned orders in matters involving public interest.
