Ex-servicemen’s polyclinic starts ops

Nearly a week after some state Congress leaders allegedly got a function cancelled for the inauguration of the Ex-Servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS) polyclinic at Shahpur,Union Minister of State for Defence M M Pallam Raju on Thursday inaugurated the clinic at a function attended by state Minister for Social and Women Empowerment Sarveen Chaudhry.

Last week,GOC Western Command Lt General S R Ghosh had reached Dharamshala to take part in the inauguration. Before he left for the function,he came to know about the abrupt cancellation of the inauguration,despite a number of ex-service personnel already reaching the spot.

To save further embarrassment,Pallam Raju reached Dharamshala on Thursday morning in a service aircraft. He not only inaugurated the polyclinic but also met ex-servicemen from the area.

However,this left former minister Major (Retd) Major Vijai Singh Mankotia,who had led the Ex-servicemen League for several years,with no option but to stay away from the ceremony. “As far as I was concerned,it was a non-event. So,I opted to stay away,” he said.

The clinic will serve more than 40,000 ex-servicemen.