HC notices to government over OGH construction at police stadium

The High Court on Friday issued notices to different departments of State government over a PIL petition to restrain government from constructing Osmania General Hospital at Goshamahal police stadium.

A Bench of Acting Chief Justice Sujoy Paul and Justice Renuka Yara directed the Chief Secretary and heads of the departments to file their responses within four weeks.

Challenging the government’s decision to shift OGH and build a new structure for it in the place of police stadium, the petitioner Gundolu Ramu, a yoga trainer and social activist, said the proposed construction would expose people living in the vicinity to environmental hazards.

Earlier, the government counsels contended that shifting OGH to the present police stadium was a policy decision to extend better medical facilities to people. The present OGH building was more than a century old and parts of it were in dilapidated condition, they said.

Meanwhile, the Central Administrative Tribunal-Hyderabad on Friday dismissed an application filed by Telangana Chief Secretary K. Ramakrishna Rao seeking exemption from virtually appearing before the tribunal in a plea relating to pension payment to retired IFS officer Tej Singh Kardam. The AP Chief Secretary K. Vijayanand appeared virtually before the tribunal in the matter. The CAT Bench directed both of them to appear before it on July 18 virtually to resolve the tussle over pension payment to the retired officer.