Digboi: The abysmal state of the government-run State Veterinary dispensary at Digboi ‘s Panbari area along the Digboi-Pengaree road in Assam’s Tinsukia district has unfolded gross negligence of the government, also leading to the waste of multiple crores of public money.
Due to a lack of basic amenities like water connection, toilets, hand wash, stable power connections, roof ceilings, and waste disposal management, poor management affected the unhygienic dispensary’s affairs.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
The decade-long incomplete structures of the new clinic and double-storeyed doctor’s accommodation close to the dispensary have turned into a piggery for the staff.
‘The work of the mammoth half-erected buildings started during the Congress regime in Assam stands incomplete despite repeated appeals to the concerned authority ‘, said the Veterinarian Himasri Das during an exclusive with the Northeast Now on Wednesday morning.
“Due to similar infra-amenities issues and constraints at my actual posting site at Agbandha dispensary in Margherita, I have been attached here in Digboi since February 2023,” the Vet stated.
Ready for a challenge? Click here to take our quiz and show off your knowledge!
‘We are facing immense hurdles in discharging our responsibilities effectively for want of a proper working environment and required basic facilities,’ lamented a Veterinary Field Assistant (VFA).
Meanwhile, when inquired, a fourth-grade staff serving for a long 35 years in the area admitted to using the asset for housing pigs in the incomplete building as the chance of its completion was reportedly very bleak.
The footfalls in the dispensary were extremely minimal as the trust of the community in the clinic has been fast evaporating with everyone passing day.
Das, the Veterinarian, stated that they provide service to the community only until 1 PM, after which they engage in online reports and data entry.
Responding to the queries concerning the alleged undue charges sought from the community, the Veterinarian denied the allegations, citing vitamins and vaccination, if available, given in the clinic free of cost, while charges apply for those medicines and services rendered beyond 1 pm in the field, which comes under private practice.
When asked about the pig’s death three days ago in Panbari village, shortly after VFA Bhupen Bora administered an injection, Veterinarian Das expressed regret over the incident, explaining that the said VFA no longer works at the Digboi dispensary.
“Due to multiple complaints and allegations about his misconduct, we attached him to Hapjan Block as a punishment transfer a few months ago,” the official stated.
‘How come the jurisdictional lapses occur unauthorisedly’, wondered the Vet ironically.
However, the effective services of the government veterinary dispensary are denied to the rural livestock sector, recognised as a major contributor to the agricultural GDP in Assam.
Unless the BJP-led government in Assam interferes to revamp the system, addressing the paralysing issues, the scenario in the sector would rock to the bottom the way it has already after years of neglect.