1 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY NAGPUR BENCH, NAGPUR Writ Petition No.5688/2007 Shri Pandurang Meshram vs. State of Maharashtra and others. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Office Notes, Office Memoranda of Coram, appearances, Court's orders or directions Court's order Judge's orders and Registrar's order ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Mr. R.V. Shiralkar, Adv.(appointed) for the petitioner. Mrs. Dangre, Addl. G.P. for respondents 1 to 3. Mr. Mokadam, Adv. for respondent no.4. Coram : B.H. Marlapalle And Smt. Vasanti A. Naik, JJ. Dated : 17/12/2008 Heard Mr. Shiralkar, the learned Advocate appointed for the petitioner. The petitioner, who was the Up-sarpanch of village Thanegaon at the relevant time has moved this petition in public interest and praying for directions to respondents 2 and 4 not to shift the Primary Health Centre, Armori to Bhakrondi in the very same taluka. The Deputy Director of Health Services, Nagpur Region (respondent no.3) has filed affidavit in reply and submitted that village Bhakrondi is in the remote village of Gadchiroli district and surrounded by rivers and nallah. It did not have facilities of health services and, therefore, keeping in 2 mind the interest of the tribal belt and the need to provide health services to the population around, it was proposed to shift the Primary Health Centre at Armori to Bhakrondi and leaving behind the Rural Health Hospital at Armori. The distance between Armori to Bhakrondi is about 60 kms. and earlier village Bhakrondi was attached to the Primary Health Centre at Delanwadi. The distance between Delanwadi and Bhakrondi is about 30 kms. It has been further pointed out that in Armori taluka medical facilities were available at four centres i. e. Armori, Wairagarh, Wadadha and Delanwadi. At Armori, admittedly, there are two medical centres i. e. Rural Hospital and Primary Health Centre and, therefore, the Government decided to shift the Primary Health Centre from Armori to Bhakrondi so that an additional medical centre is created by shifting the said primary health centre. It has also been pointed out that the Rural Hospital at Armori has 50 beds and it has the capacity to cater to the medical needs of the entire population, which was otherwise falling under the area of primary health centre. We are satisfied that the decision to shift Primary Health Centre from Armori to Bhakrondi was in public interest and the shifting has been done on 3 26th May 1997 and the Rural Hospital has been operating from 2003 at Armori. Hence, the petition is dismissed. JUDGE JUDGE Ambulkar.