UP minister dubs Allahabad cooler incident 'insensitive', assures action

Retorting to the reports of 20 air coolers being rented by a Allahabad hospital for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's visit, state health minister Siddharth Nath Singh on 6 June dubbed the incident as 'insensitive' and said that he has sought reports in the matter, while adding that he will make sure that such incidents do not occur in the future.

Singh told ANI that there are challenges but the newly-elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) Government will leave no stone unturned in combating such shortcomings.

"Well the Allahabad incident where coolers were replaced after CM left the hospital came to light this morning. Immediately I asked the CMO and the DM to submit me the report but what I have understood is that the coolers were non functional, so they brought coolers on rent and then changed them post CM's visit," said Singh.

"This is very unfortunate and should not have happened. This shows how insensitive the system has become and this is the challenge we are facing but certainly we will overcome this challenge and for this incident since I have asked for the report we will be making people accountable and amend things, so that in future such incidents don't happen," he added.

Around 20 air coolers were reportedly hired for the Chief Minister's visit to the Swaroop Rani Nehru hospital in Allahabad on 4 June.

Adityanath inspected the bone disease department, and for patients there, it meant a break - however fleeting - from the oppressive heat.

Right after the Chief Minister left, the coolers were gone. The sight of the coolers being carted away in rickshaws was caught on camera by a local photographer.

-ANI