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Journalism of Courage
PUNE, MARCH 18: Arun Bhatia, whose removal as Pune’s Municipal Commissioner has raised a storm of protest, today said that he personally would be submitting an affidavit in the Bombay High Court before March 23, presenting his side of the story. The court has been approached by petitioners challenging Bhatia’s removal as Pune civic chief.
“I have been told that the court has asked for an affidavit and I am working on it,” Bhatia told newsmen at the Ruby Hall Clinic this morning where he inaugurated a sophisticated operation theatre complex for cardiac surgery. Declining to elaborate on the contents of the affidavit, he said he would “write everything” in it.
He even had a dig at his new posting, saying he had no idea what he would do there “since it only contained speeches made by Gandhi and Nehru and material from the Mahabharat”.
Earlier, Dr Ravi Gulati of the Ruby Hall Clinic had expressed the hope that in his new job at the Archives, which the dictionary referred to as a great repository of data, Bhatia would again come up with lacunae in Government functioning. Bhatia corrected him, saying that no such data was recorded at the archives. The available data, he said, was all historical.
Bhatia seemed quite overwhelmed by the show of public support for the stand he had taken in his week-long stint as the city civic chief and the uproar over his transfer. “God seems to have compensated me for all the beating I took from the Government in my career by the love that has been bestowed on me by the people of Pune.”
He said he was indebted to Pune and, given a chance, would like to repay them for the love they had showered on him.
“The affection I have received from Pune is amazing. It is beyond my wildest imagination,” he said, adding that he could not reason out what he had done to deserve such affection.
“I don’t know if I will ever get a chance to repay this. I think that is possible if I get a chance to serve in Pune again. Until then it shall remain a debt,” Bhatia said.
Thanking corporator Dayaram Rajguru — he was present there — for bringing to his notice the problems of people living in the slums and drawing his attention to instances of neglect by the administration, Bhatia said, “I don’t know if I will ever get a chance to work with you again.”
On Pune as a city, Bhatia said it was a beautiful blend of small town charms and big city advantages. He made an appeal for better medical facilities, saying there was no reason why people should go to Mumbai or Delhi for treatment.
Earlier, in his address, Dr K.B.Grant, managing trustee and chairman of Poona Medical Foundation, described Bhatia as “a man with the courage of conviction who feels that wrong has to be corrected.”
“I wish India could have a few more people like Arun Bhatia. All corruption and nepotism we see today in society can be wiped out,” Dr Grant said.
The newly inaugurated complex at the Ruby Hall has four large operation theatres that will cater to every kind of cardiac surgery, from operations on children below the age of 1 to the elderly who need bypass surgery or permanent pacemaker implant.
