Journalism of Courage
Punjab and Haryana HC issues notice to Punjab govt over poor ESI facilities in Mohali
Petitioner returns to court after years of unheeded pleas and representations
3 min read
This is not the first time the association has approached the High Court.The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday issued notice to the Punjab government on a public interest litigation (PIL) highlighting the lack of adequate medical facilities under the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) scheme in Mohali, despite statutory obligations and repeated directives. The division bench of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu and Justice Sanjiv Berry sought a response from the state after the petitioner association argued that workers continue to be denied cashless treatment, proper hospital infrastructure, and dispensaries in industrial hubs, even as crores are collected annually in contributions.
This is not the first time the association has approached the High Court. Back in 2016, it had filed CWP No. 20028 of 2016 raising the same issues of non-implementation of the ESI Act, 1948. That petition was disposed of in October 2024 as infructuous at the time, but with liberty to approach the court again if grievances remained unaddressed. The present petition was filed after years of further representations to state and central authorities yielded no results, including appeals to the Director General, ESI Corporation, the Regional Director at Chandigarh, and even the Chief Justice of the High Court through a representation.
Advocate Arun Singla pointed out that while Mohali district has over 3.3 lakh insured workers, the only ESI hospital in Phase VII has just 30 sanctioned beds — far below the requirement. As per ESIC’s July 11, 2022 guidelines, a 400-bedded hospital is mandated for an insured population of around 3.5 lakh. “More than three years have passed since the guidelines, yet only a dilapidated 30-bed facility exists,” said Singla, adding that there are no ESI dispensaries at industrial locations like Kurali, Gharuan, Sialba Majri, Banmajra, and Phase IX despite large worker populations.
The association has cited the ESI Corporation’s own Citizens’ Charter and meeting minutes dating back to 2008, where the need for timely cashless super-speciality treatment was emphasised. Despite repeated directions that workers should not have to pay upfront or suffer undue delays in reimbursement, the petitioner alleges that the ground reality remains grim, with shortages of doctors, staff, and functioning facilities.
Financially, the ESI scheme is not short of resources, the petition stresses. The ESIC reported a contribution income of over Rs 24,683 crore in 2022–23, against expenditure of Rs 15,735 crore, including Rs 2,804 crore on cash benefits and Rs 11,600 crore on medical benefits. “Despite such surpluses, workers in Mohali are denied their statutory entitlements,” the plea contends.
The petitioner has also detailed how it has been pursuing the matter since March 2025, when a detailed representation was sent to the Regional Director, ESIC, and the Director of Health Services, Punjab. A subsequent meeting with state medical officers and ESIC representatives in June 2025 again confirmed the deficiencies but brought no improvement.
Calling it a continuing failure of the authorities to discharge their obligations, the association has sought directions for immediate upgradation of the Mohali hospital to the mandated 400-bed level, establishment of dispensaries in industrial belts, and strict enforcement of cashless treatment facilities.
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