SHIMLA: Atal Superspeciality Institute at Chamyana here was envisioned as a high-end healthcare facility. But it continues to languish as an underutilized "white elephant' as of now as public is yet to get its benefits.
Despite a staggering investment of ₹262 crores, the facility remains non-functional. It is plagued by poor connectivity, ill-maintained roads, scarce transportation, and a glaring lack of basic amenities, medicines, and medical equipment.
While the Public Works Department (PWD) claims that road repairs will be completed "in a couple of weeks," nothing has changed on the ground.
The public continues to suffer, forced to travel to other centers for super-specialty services.
The Himachal Pradesh High Court has now stepped in, taking suo motu cognizance of the issue.
On November 4, a bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Satyen Vaidya directed the state government to convene a meeting with all stakeholders on November 11.
The court emphasized that the fate of this critical healthcare institution cannot be left to the whims of a select few and ordered the Chief Secretary to oversee the proceedings.
Participants in the meeting will include top health officials, heads of super-specialty departments, doctors, representatives from HRTC, PWD, NGOs, and civil society.
The court expects the minutes of the meeting to be submitted by November 13, signaling its firm intent to ensure accountability and action.
Meanwhile, the state government and opposition seem more engrossed in trivial matters like the so-called "samosa controversy" than addressing the real governance challenges.
The public is demanding answers: when will the government prioritize health infrastructure over political posturing?
The Atal Superspeciality Institute, conceived to transform healthcare in the region, has instead become a symbol of neglect and misplaced priorities.
Will the Chief Minister finally take decisive action, or will this facility remain a monument to bureaucratic inefficiency?
