Gehlot slams Rajasthan govt over stalled projects in Jodhpur

Jodhpur, Nov 23 (PTI) Former Rajasthan chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Monday accused the state government of halting several development projects initiated during the previous Congress government in Jodhpur, terming it “criminal negligence”.

Speaking to mediapersons in his hometown, Gehlot said district and satellite hospitals constructed during his government’s tenure were lying incomplete.

He expressed displeasure for the stalling of several development works, including the district hospital, library, sports complex, and the CHC in the Mahamandir area.

“I went around the city today. The Congress government started work on the medical university, built district hospitals and constructed a satellite hospital, but today work has come to a halt everywhere,” Gehlot alleged.

People are suffering; the situation speaks for itself, he said, flagging shortages of doctors in health centres.

He said projects worth crores of rupees were sanctioned earlier but the public was not benefiting from them.

“Crores were spent, and now the present government is letting them go to waste. Some projects are already complete, but they are neither being inaugurated nor made operational. Even equipment is not being installed in hospitals,” he claimed.

Gehlot also criticised the government over the long-pending elevated road project in Jodhpur. He said he had announced the project - from Mahamandir to Akhaliya Circle - in the 2019-20 budget, calling it essential due to rising traffic.

He said Union minister Nitin Gadkari had ordered preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) at his request, and tenders had also been issued, “but even after that the work has not started”.

“If this project gets delayed any further, its cost will increase even more,” he added. PTI COR OZ OZ