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Pondicherry bandh evokes mixed response

Staff Reporter

Protest against move to grant autonomy for JIPMER

PONDICHERRY: The dawn to dusk bandh called by the People's Action Committee in Pondicherry on Thursday to protest against the move of the Health Ministry to convert the Jawaharlal Institute of Post-graduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER) into an autonomous institution evoked a mixed response.

All business establishments remained closed and hotels also downed their shutters at various points in and around Pondicherry.

Tempos did not operate. There was however the usual flow of privately owned vehicles on important thoroughfares.

Inter-Sate bus services were operated as usual on some of the routes. Government offices functioned normally without any interruption. Vegetable markets and fish marts did not function in the heart of the town.

In the meanwhile around 35 persons belonging to various political parties and also the Confederation of Government Employees Associations affiliated to the Action Committee were arrested at two different points when they launched road roko.

Among those arrested included the Marxist leader and chairman of People's Action Committee T. Murugan, the president of Confederation of Associations of Government Employees and Vice president of the committee C.H. Balamohanan and leaders of different political parties supporting the bandh.

At Pattanikadai junction a batch of agitators including functionaries of the CPI (M) R. Rajangam and K. Ramachandran were arrested when they staged a road roko.

Police pickets were posted at vantage points and patrolling was also done to ensure that there was no threat to law and order.

A town bus was stoned on the outskirts of town limits and none was injured, according to reports reaching here.

Incoming buses from Chennai could not enter Pondicherry at one stage and passengers were stranded at the border village of Kalapet, according to a section of travellers.

The functionaries of the Action Committee have planned to present a memorandum to the Prime Minister during the second week of May to seek his good offices to prevent the Health Ministry from converting JIPMER into an autonomous body.

They fear that once autonomous status was given, the healthcare services would become costly and would be out of bounds for the poor now getting treatment free of cost.

It is also feared that the staff and employees in the institute would face insecurity to their jobs.

Students would also face hardship in getting admission to the medical courses, the committee sources contended.

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