The Madras High Court on October 18 impleaded the Civil Aviation Ministry on operating air ambulance facility to the hilly Nilgiris district as the Tamil Nadu government informed it that a medical college and hospital would be established there.



A bench comprising Justices N Kirubakaran and P Velmurugan, which has earlier voiced concern over lack of proper medical facilities in the district, recorded its appreciation of the government for its swift action in announcing the proposal for setting up the hospital in the headquarter town of Udhagamandalam, popularly known as Ooty.

It impleaded the Civil Aviation Ministry with regard to its query on providing air ambulance facility to the district prone to natural disasters, including landslides, and attacks by wild animals. The interim order was passed on a petition related to the shifting of Ooty Race Club, now located in the heart of Udhagamandalam.

During the earlier hearings, the court had said despite being the district headquarters, Udhagamandalam did not have proper medical facilities and queried about the possibility of constructing a multi-speciality hospital-cum-medical college in the town and providing air ambulance service. It had noted that in times of medical emergencies people of the district had to come down to Coimbatore in the plains, about 90 km from Udhagamandalam, which takes around three hours and many lives were lost for want of facilities.

On October 4, the bench had impleaded the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and the state Health department to get instructions about the establishment of the hospital and providing air ambulance. When the matter came up for hearing on Friday, state Advocate General Vijay Narayan produced a copy of the government communication on allotment of 25 acres for the proposed medical college and hospital.

Assistant Solicitor General G Karthikeyan, present in the court, took notice for the Aviation Ministry and said a proposal should emanate from the state government. The court asked the advocate general to draw the attention of the state government and posted the matter for November 4 for further hearing.