PMC medical college allegedly skips flag hoisting on Aug 15
Pune's Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College faces scrutiny for not hoisting the national flag on Independence Day, violating the Flag Code of India.
Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC) run Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee Medical College has come under scrutiny after failing to hoist the national flag on Independence Day, August 15. As per officials, it is mandatory to hold flag hoisting on the eve of Independence Day for all government agencies and organisations as per the Flag Code of India, 2002. Besides the national flag may be hoisted in educational institutes to inspire respect for the flag.
Ganesh Bidkar, former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) corporator has given a written complaint to the PMC commissioner, Rajendra Bhosale and Health Chief of PMC, Dr Nina Borade requesting to conduct a probe and take action. “On the occasion of 78th Independence Day, no flag hoisting ceremony was held at the college, and this is a very serious issue,’ said Bidkar in the letter, a copy of which Hindustan Times has seen.
Bidkar said all educational institutes and government organizations must hoist the National flag on Independence Day. “I have made a complaint to the officials requesting to take action. I want to avoid the issue being politicized due to which the letter was given. This act is unacceptable and serious,” he said.
Dr Shilpa Pratinidhi, dean of the medical college said the college shares its campus with Kamla Nehru Hospital (KNH), hence a common ceremony was held at the hospital.
For the past four years, flag hoisting has been done at the hospital campus. The college and hospital are not different,” she said.
A senior official from KNH, on anonymity, said, “The Independence Day event was independently organised by the hospital and the medical college has no stakes in it. When it comes to taking up the responsibility for any issue at the hospital the medical college takes a stand of being an independent institute.”
Dr Nina Borade, PMC health chief said, “We are investigating the issue and have asked the dean of the medical college to decide if they want to conduct the event independently or jointly with the KNH.”
