Doctors blame corruption for failure to appoint Health Officer

Source:
MUSSOORIE, 12 Jan: Due to the alleged corrupt practices in the State Health Ministry, the important post of health officer has remained vacant for two years, here, hindering routine work and jeopardising the health and life of the people in Mussoorie.
Some doctors, who are keen on applying for the post, allege under condition of anonymity that they were asked for huge sums of money for posting to the hill station as Health Officer. The Health Officer is a key post in the town, as all the hygiene and sanitation activities are under his jurisdiction. 
Nagar Palika President OP Uniyal corroborated the fact that lack of a Health Officer was leading to numerous problems because the routine work of sampling to check food adulteration, issue of birth and death certificates, sanitation of the town was carried out under the Health Officer. 
Meanwhile, as there is no one to check the adulteration in the town, the food vendors are delighted and are celebrating the absence of the health officer by serving the clientele with sub-standard goods including milk. Vinod, a resident of Mussoorie, is appalled at the non-availability of the officer concerned and is of the view that the hill station was awaiting a disaster like food poisoning to take place in some residential school or hotel. Only then would the Health Ministry rise from its coma. 
Dr Shyam (name changed) alleged that the real reason for not appointing the Health Officer was that high rung officials in the health ministry were attempting to line their own pockets. “They are asking for hefty sums for appointing the Health Officer in Mussoorie,” he said. 
The residents of Mussoorie smell a rat in the entire issue and tend to believe the theory of rampant corruption. They are of the view that it is strange that such an important post has been kept vacant for so long and corruption could be the only reason.
OP Uniyal said that letters had been written many times on the issue to the authorities concerned but without result. He added that the Health Officer was the need of hour for the hill station, so that work did not suffer and there was no major epidemic. 
Madan Mohan Sharma, the newly elected District Secretary, was furious about the whole issue and said that the post of Health Officer could not be overlooked. He also said that he would write to the Health Minister in this regard. 
Sushil Aggarwal and Kedar Singh Chauhan, Member, Palika also were of the view that the Health Officer was necessity for the Palika.
M Bahuguna, senior BSP leader, said that the BJP government had failed on all fronts and there was no one to listen to the grievances of the people and they would give an apt reply in the coming Lok Sabha elections.