The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh News : Coporate hospitals the best refuge?

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Tuesday, Sep 11, 2007
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh

Coporate hospitals the best refuge?

Whenever a VVIP or his son is involved in a crime, the obvious way to evade the imminent arrest is to get admitted to a corporate hospital faking illness.

There are many examples to prove that the tactic is highly effective. Of course, it needs the covert support of law enforcers.

The current case involving the son of a top politician, in whose house, a realtor died of gunshot wounds, is the best example.

The ‘accused’ person, supposedly unconscious, was lying on the bed in the hospital throughout the day and the police managed to ‘evict’ him from the hospital only a day later.

But it was obvious that he was being handled with kid gloves by the police who shifted him to an undisclosed place soon after he was taken into custody.

This treatment would not be available for the ‘aam janta’, who, if arrested would be treated in a different way.

If one does not believe it, they can check it out by picking up an argument with, say, the traffic policeman on the road. Any takers?

Once bitten twice shy. The police in Hyderabad seemed to have learnt the lesson now.

The other day when communists laid a siege to MLA’s Colony demanding house sites, there were many policemen around, but none of them was carrying a weapon.

The constables were ordered to physically lift everyone and shove them into waiting police vehicles.

But some of the protesters, who were bundled into the vans, had complained of receiving the ‘police treatment’ in the vans. Some innovation.

With the city witnessing mishaps day in and day out, Sunday’s incident of a segment of the flyover collapsing saw scores of people thronging the spot as soon as news flashed on television channels. In the confusion that followed, hours later the dice of the blame game was rolled out between Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, Gammon India and Hyderabad Metropolitan Water Works and Sewerage Board. Wonder why officials resort to such tactics blaming each other at a time when they need to look into the matter with a more mature perspective.

After the scaffolding crashed, the next big question is when the Punjagutta flyover will be completed.

Everyone now secretly accepts that the 15-month deadline given to the EPC contractor is never going to be feasible as promised to the powers that be.

“Any flyover needs at least two years for the construction taking into consideration the time for property acquisition and other issues. Punjagutta flyover work is being undertaken in a heavy traffic zone with complex curvature, hence the time frame was impossible,” said an official.

Work began in November 2005 and if things go well from now on, officials expect it to be done by December-January-February. This will be just a one or two months away from the two years time.

K.SRINIVAS REDDY, ABHIJIT DEV KUMAR

AND V. GEETANATH

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