Days after the executive committee of the Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (HSGMC) decided to take over the Miri Piri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Shahabad in Kurukshetra, committee president Jagdish Singh Jhinda on Monday said it has peacefully taken over the hospital.
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“After the formation of HSGMC and the presentation of its financial records, it became evident that Haryana’s gurdwaras are financially self-sufficient and do not require assistance from any other state,” he said.
He claimed that the Miri Piri Institute is not running in losses and alleged that certain vested interests are attempting to create the impression that HSGMC lacks the capability to manage the institution.
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Earlier, the HSGMC had written to Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Harjinder Singh Dhami, asking him to hand over the possession of the institute within three days.
However, after reportedly receiving no response, the Haryana committee members, including Jhinda, reached the institute on Monday.
Speaking to the media, Jhinda said that the SGPC was managing the hospital through Miri Piri Trust, but the HSGMC has now taken over the management.
He said that since hospital staff salaries were pending, they were forced to stage a protest.
“Now, it has been decided that on Tuesday, the HSGMC will deposit the salary for June, which is about ₹1.36 crore, and the salary for July will also be released on time. The SGPC should release the salaries for April and May, as they were running the institute then, and we request them to do so. We will send them a letter in this regard and if they fail, we will approach the court,” the president said.
Jhinda requested the staffers who left the hospital due to salary backlog to rejoin their duties so that patients are not hassled, as the OPD and other services have resumed after the strike ended on Friday.
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He said that the committee will make every effort to ensure that the medical college starts functioning from the next session.
HSGMC Dharam Prachar Committee chairman Baljit Singh Daduwal alleged that certain individuals associated with the present trust managing the institute were deliberately spreading misinformation by claiming that the medical college requires a budget of ₹220 crore to remain operational.
Daduwal claimed that the purpose of circulating such figures is to create fear among the sangat (Sikh community) and HSGMC members.
