Agra, April 29: A key project of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav, the Rs 133 crore 207 km-long cycle track from Etawah to Agra, is in shambles for want of care and patronage. Many villagers use the track to dry cow dung cakes or wash clothes.
The concrete-layered cycle track along the wilderness and ravines of Yamuna did not find many users or cycle enthusiasts.
"In Bah area, the track was not even fully complete but the then government was in a hurry to inaugurate the project on November 26, 2016," said a local school teacher, Subodh Kumar.
Akhilesh Yadav wanted to promote cycling in a big way. "He was often seen cycling for rallies through villages," Kumar said. Cycle is his party's election symbol.
The cycle track, with colourful pillars meandering along shady trees, had to be bulldozed in Agra city to make way for six-lane Fatehabad road, connecting Kheria Airport with the Taj Mahal.
"Since this stretch of road is frequently used by VIPs and foreign dignitaries, a plan to widen it had been there in the pipeline for a long time," a contractor at the site said.
After a hue and cry was raised by some local groups, the State Public Works Department said it will build a new cycling track after the widening of the road is completed.
"But given the circumstances, it is not likely. The present political dispensation is not interested," a Samajwadi Party worker said.
"In any case, how many people used the cycle track? For security reasons, foreign tourists showed no interest while villagers prefer motor bikes these days," said Shravan Kumar Singh, an environmentalist.
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Health Minister warns hospital staff against sending patients to nearby pharmacies
Bengaluru: Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao has cautioned hospital personnel against directing patients to nearby pharmacies for prescribed medicines, despite an adequate supply being available in the hospital.
In a post on his 'X' account on Tuesday, the minister stated that the Karnataka government is working to eliminate 'unnecessary' pharmacies near government hospitals. He wrote, "Necessary action has been taken against medical staff who ask patients to get medicines from private pharmacies instead of providing them free medicines at the hospital. Making free medicines available to patients at all primary health centres, community health centres, taluk, and district hospitals in the state is the primary objective of our government."
Discussing medical supplies, Rao said that the government has already successfully addressed issues related to tendering processes. With the necessary drug supply to all government hospitals rising to 70 to 80 percent, the government aims to ensure this supply level reaches 100 percent. The list of medicines available in hospitals has expanded from around 300 to over 1,000, and all these medicines will be provided to patients free of cost, he assured.
"No patient should be denied medication at a hospital, as our government is focused on providing free health facilities. We have implemented the special 'Gruha Arogya' programme for this purpose. Diabetic patients and those with high blood pressure will receive free medicines, which will be delivered to their homes," the health minister stated.
