Puducherry: Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Reasearch anti Autonomy People's Action Committee chairman T. Murugan and general secretary C.H. Balamohanan said here on Saturday that committee members would stage a dharna at the Pillaithottam junction here on December 1 to oppose the Centre's move to convert JIPMER into an autonomous body.

Mr. Murugan said Chief Minister N. Rangasamy and Puducherry Congress Committee leader P. Shanmugham should persuade the Centre to abandon its decision to convert the institute into an autonomous body.

JIPMER, started fifty years ago, had been under the supervision of the Directorate General of Health Services, New Delhi.

The institute was upgraded into a research institute as per the decision of the Centre in keeping with the treaty between the French and Indian Governments. Any change in the administrative status without ascertaining the wishes of the people, as had been stipulated in the treaty, would violate the pact, Mr. Murugan said.

The poor were receiving free treatment and students aspiring to pursue medical courses were securing admissions easily. All these would change if JIPMER was converted into an autonomous body.

While wooing the voters during the May 2004 parliamentary polls, the Pattali Makkal Katchi had said there would be no disturbance to the administrative status of JIPMER.

The people would be let down if the PMK continued supporting the move, Mr. Murugan said.

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