Hundreds of people, including women, from Hamirpur protested on Wednesday against the closure of a charitable hospital run by Radha Soami Satsang Beas in Bhota area.
The protesters raised slogans demanding that the hospital's medical services continue. Villagers from nearby areas decided to protest daily from 11 am to 4 pm, blaming the state government for not transferring the hospital’s land.
Earlier this week, the hospital put up a notice saying it would stop services from December 1. The Radha Soami Satsang Beas has been asking the state government to transfer the hospital’s land to its sister organization, but there are issues under the Land Ceiling Act.
The transfer would allow them to get a GST exemption for upgrading the hospital’s equipment.
The 75-bed hospital, located in the foothills of the Himalayas along the Hamirpur-Shimla highway, has been providing free medical care since 2000. It serves people from over 900 villages within a 15 km radius.
Colonel Jaggi (retired), the hospital administrator, said that the notice about the closure was posted as per the sect's orders. However, they have not yet received a written response from the government.
Protesters are also upset about the GST being charged on hospital services, even though the hospital provides free care. They are demanding a written assurance from the government that the hospital will remain open.
BJP MLAs Inder Dutt Lakahnpal and Ashish Sharma visited the protest and spoke with both the hospital management and the protesters, who had gathered on the main road outside the hospital.
The MLAs urged the protesters to avoid blocking the road and to continue their protest peacefully. The road was cleared quickly, and police were present to ensure traffic could flow freely.
The MLAs stated that it was the state government’s responsibility to resolve the issue. They noted that the land transfer could happen without any problems, but the state government’s delays were causing the current situation.
On Monday, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu explained that the sect wanted to transfer the land to its sister organisation. The government is considering changing the law to allow this, and the issue will be discussed in the upcoming winter session of the assembly.
The CM added that the state wants institutions like Radha Soami Satsang to continue serving the people.
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