'Jaya's hospital bill Rs 6.85 cr, Rs 44.56 L still pending'
Chennai, Dec 19 : Nearly Rs 2.40 crore was spent on food and beverages and rent for rooms during the hospitalisation of late chief minister J Jayalalithaa for 75 days in 2016, which accounted for one-third of the total bill of Rs 6.85 crore raised by the Apollo hospitals, a copy of which has gone viral.
The one page summary of the bill submitted recently to Justice Arumugasamy panel probing the circumstances leading to her death, got leaked and went viral on social media.
The summary shows Rs six crore and 85 lakh as the total bill with a detailed break-up and an outstanding amount of Rs 44.56 lakh.
Under the head 'food and beverage services', the bill showed Rs 1,17,04,925.
The break-up showed consultation fee as Rs 71 lakh.
UK based doctor Richard Beale was paid Rs 92 lakh and a Singapore-based hospital Rs 1.29 crore for professional charges respectively and room rent was Rs 1.24 crore -- which includes the cost of occupancy of several rooms by her attendants -- during the late leader's hospital stay.
The ruling AIADMK is shown as having paid Rs six crore received on June 15, 2017, months after Jayalalithaa's death on December 5, 2016.
Though an amount of Rs 41.13 lakh is shown as being received by the hospital on October 13, 2016, no mention is made of who made that payment.
When contacted about the leak of the bill, both the Justice A Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry and a legal counsel for the hospital in the panel denied dissemination from their respective sides.
The bill, however, is genuine and it was submitted in the panel on November 27 this year, the hospital counsel Maimoona Badsha said.
"The bill summary is not a complete factual reflection of all the details because the details were produced in more than 200 pages. We are surprised and shocked that a confidential document, which was submitted to the commission on November 27, is out in the open," Badsha told PTI.
Referring to the head 'food and beverage services', the counsel said it includes a whole lot of people like visitors.
Jayalalithaa had passed away on December 5, 2016 after being treated in the hospital for 75 days from September 22, 2016 for various ailments.
In September last year, the state government had constituted the probe panel under the Commissions of Inquiry Act,mandating it to inquire into the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation on September 22, 2016, and treatment provided by the hospital till her demise.
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Gehlot changes profile pic to 'Save Aravalli', asks Centre to reconsider definition
Jaipur (PTI): Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Thursday urged the Centre to reconsider its definition of the Aravallis, warning that any damage to the mountain range posed a serious threat to the ecological future of north India.
Gehlot, a former Rajasthan chief minister, changed his social media profile picture in support of the nationwide 'SaveAravalli' campaign amid growing debate over mining and environmental safeguards in the Aravalli Range.
It was his symbolic protest against the new interpretation under which hills lower than 100 metres are no longer being recognised as part of the Aravalli system, he said.
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"The Aravalli cannot be judged by tape measures or height alone. It must be assessed by its ecological importance," Gehlot said, adding that the revised definition raised "a big question" over the future of north India.
Appealing to the Centre and the Supreme Court, Gehlot said the issue must be reconsidered in the interest of future generations and environmental security. He also urged citizens to participate in the campaign by changing their display pictures online to draw attention to the issue.
He said the Aravalli range functioned as a natural green wall against the expansion of the Thar desert and extreme heatwaves, protecting Delhi, Haryana and western Uttar Pradesh. Opening up smaller hills and so-called gap areas for mining would allow desertification to advance rapidly, he warned.
Gehlot also flagged concerns over air pollution, saying the hills and forests of the Aravallis acted as the "lungs" of the National Capital Region by checking dust storms and absorbing pollutants.
"When pollution levels are so alarming even with the Aravalli standing, one can imagine how disastrous the situation will be without it," he said.
Highlighting the water crisis, the former chief minister said the rocky terrain of the Aravallis played a crucial role in groundwater recharge by channelising rainwater underground.
"If the hills are destroyed, drinking water shortages will intensify, wildlife will disappear and the entire ecology will be pushed into danger," he said.
Gehlot argued that, from a scientific perspective, the Aravallis was a continuous chain and that even smaller hillocks were as vital as higher peaks.
