15 January,2009 09:50 AM IST | | Amit Kumar
Babus say ex-President asked them to give Delhi ambulance service deal to emri; Kalam says he backed firm to save lives
DELHI'S seniormost bureaucrats have told MiD DAY that early last year, former president Dr APJ Abdul Kalam had asked them to grant Satyam Computers' ex-chief Ramalinga Raju's other company Emergency Management Research Institute (EMRI) the contract for an ambulance service in the Capital.
In what points to the kind of corporate charm the now-beleaguered executive exercised on the top leadership of the country, Kalam, in an e-mail to MiD DAY, confirmed that he had backed Raju's medical initiative. "Since our country has been experiencing several accidents and health emergencies, Emergency Response Services for the nation as a whole is very vital. Keeping this aspect in mind, I have been stating in several fora, including individuals, about the necessity of establishing EMRI-type services in different parts of the country for saving millions of lives," said the former President and arguably the country's biggest science icon.
Kalam, incidentally, resigned from EMRI's board of members immediately after the scam came to light.
EMRI, however, denied that Kalam had pitched in for favours. "Dr Kalam never approached any official to convince them to start the services of EMRI without any tenders. The reasons of his resignation are unknown," said Srivatsan Raghavan, lead partner in EMRI.
The company had sought 20 acres of land in upscale south Delhi, and the Delhi government had started considering the proposal very seriously, said top officials. Had it not been for a smart rethink by the government, protests from other big medical banners and noises by the Opposition, the city's medical system could have been scathed by the Satyam turmoil today.
"EMRI's competitors called and pointed that it was a company run by techies and not doctors, which would act asu00a0 middlemen and make health services more expensive," said a senior bureaucrat in the Delhi government asking not to be named.
"All things considered, we decided to stay with the government-run ambulances instead of going for EMRI's upgraded service."
Delhi's emergency services are being sought to be privatised, starting with the Centralised Accident and Trauma Services (CATS), adding about 150 ambulances to CATS' fleet of about 35.
EMRI ambulance services are patronised by 12 state governments, including Andhra Pradesh, Punjab, Goa and Uttarakhand, of which eight were awarded without a bid.
"The government had backed out of the EMRI deal because of our pressure. What is the need for privatisation of services when CATS continues to save hundreds of lives?" said Jagdish Mukhi, Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly.
