Citing continuous interference of the CMO officer in his department, the state health minister, Anil Vij, has refrained from the working of the health department for around the last two months. Despite the passing of a long time, the matter has not been resolved, which is a matter of serious concern as the backlog of pending files continues amid a spike in dengue and H9N2.
In continuation of this, it came to light that the issue is likely to be raised in the forthcoming winter session starting from December 15. Amid the ongoing tussle, the matter is also in constant discussion as the opposition continuously raises the issue, and it is almost certain that such an issue will resonate in the assembly session.
On the other hand, there seems to be no change in Anil Vij’s stance. It has now come to light that if the matter is raised by the opposition in the House, Vij will only say that he is not looking after the department. He clearly indicated that in case the issue gets raised in the assembly, he will say that the department is being looked after by the CMO officer only. In such a situation, the same officer will be accountable for the queries. Since the session is approaching, there is a possibility of the matter being finalized. But if, contrary to possibility, there is no settlement in the matter, then everyone will keep an eye on Vij.
The entire matter has been discussed between CM Manohar Lal and Anil Vij. During a press conference held recently. CM has also said that sometimes complications arise in administrative work, and the matter will be resolved soon. In view of the upcoming assembly session, it is believed that there will be talks between both, and the matter is expected to be resolved. On Vij’s side, it was said that the ball is in the CM’s court.
In continuation of the aforementioned, it is pertinent to mention that in this series, Health Minister Anil Vij has written to ACS and Chief Minister Manohar Lal for action against the Director of National Health Mission (NHM), Haryana, and IAS Rajnarayan Kaushik, terming him an incompetent official. Considering the seriousness of the matter, there is an uproar even in the corridors of bureaucracy. Giving information regarding the matter, Anil Vij said that he has given a complaint against the Mission Director to Chief Minister Manohar Lal, and in the complaint, he has called him an incompetent officer. Putting the working style of the director in the dock, Vij has written for strict action against him. The matter is believed to be associated with the ongoing dispute in the health department.
It is noteworthy that Anil Vij has not been signing any file of the Health Department for the last two months. In fact, a review meeting of the Health Department was organized by Chief Principal Secretary to CM RK Khullar on 5th October last. Anil Vij was not divulged any information about this, which made up upset Vij. Anil Vij had a strong objection regarding this, stating that no such meeting of his department can be organized without bringing it to his notice. Vij has also been face to face with CMO officials.
Notably, in the recent past, Anil has clearly asked MLAs not to visit his office pertaining to any work from the health department and to hold talks with the officer who held the department meeting. Since the thing to be seen now is that the health department is of pivotal importance, it is worth mentioning that everyone is bound to face problems due to the stoppage of files of departmental work. Anil Vij is also continuously cornering senior officials of the health department. A few days ago, in an event, he said that there are some officers in the department who are creating hurdles in the work. The file has been pending for around two months.