Nitish Kumar flayed for belated review of health and tourism sectors

PATNA: The BJP today flayed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for laying emphasis on improving health services and tourism two months away from Assembly election when these two sectors were neglected during his stewardship.

Kumar failed to focus on growth of health and tourism sectors when he was himself at the helm of these departments for nearly two years, senior BJP leader and former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi said in a statement.

Now suddenly he woke up to stress on bringing investment for the two sectors, Modi said.

When there has been an alarming decrease in the number of patients visiting government hospitals due to lack of quality medical services, the chief minister's thrust on investment for super speciality and multi-super speciality hospitals would be akin to rubbing salt on people's injuries, he said.

Modi claimed that there was acute shortage of doctors and medicines at government hospitals.

On the chief minister's bid to push for development of tourism by proposing to grant industry status to it, the senior BJP leader pointed out that the foreign tourists' footfall has dropped by three lakh.

Not only that the state government has failed to utilize funds for development of archaeological and heritage sites, including those in Nalanda - the chief minister's home district, but other projects like installation of ropeways at various tourist sites have proved to be non-starter, he claimed.

The development of Buddha, Ramayana and Sufi circuits has also hit a roadblock even as the state's nodal agency for promotion of tourism - Bihar State Tourism Development Corporation has been in a loss for years, Modi alleged.

Observing that Kumar's review of health and tourism policies was an attempt to hide his own shortcomings, Modi said that the voters this time would get lured away by Kumar's hollow promises. PTI KDK MD RG PD 07022037 NNNN