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Bhopal: The MP Urja Vikas Nigam (UVN) might have endangered lives of neonates and infants in government health institutions of Madhya Pradesh by diluting the efficacy of solar photovoltaic power plants (SPVPPs) installed at the hospitals, public interest litigation (PIL) filed by a local activist has alleged.

The MP High Court has served a notice upon the managing director of the MPUVN and the principal secretary of the department of new and renewable energy, seeking their replies on the issue.

The petitioner Sushil Levy has in his PIL alleged that the MPUVN arbitrarily reduced the battery power bank capacity of the solar power plants installed at seven primary health centres and community health centres in Vidisha parliamentary constituency (Raisen, Vidisha, Sehore and Dewas districts) from 1200 ampere-hour (AH) to 800 AH.

This reduction in capacity was done while issuing work order to a Pune-based firm in 2014 after a Delhi-based firm failed to install the power plants according to a previous work order. Similar dilution of solar power plant efficacy was done in other hospitals of state too, the petitioner Sushil Levy has said.

This reduction in power bank has hampered the functioning of the solar power plants leading to failure to maintain uninterrupted power supply in health centres. This in turn has led to deaths of many newborn babies and infants who survive on power-run facilities like incubators, activist Ajay Dubey who accompanied the petitioners at a press conference on Friday, said.

The recent incidents of deaths of neonates in different government health facilities and power supply disruptions back this up, the activists said.

Madhya Pradesh is recording highest infant mortality rate in the country since last 11 years. In such situation such action amounts to criminal negligence and was done with intention of benefitting the private firm, they charged.

The petitioner has last year filed a petition in High Court on the issue after his repeated representations to the MPUVN managing director (MD) to inquire into the arbitrary changing of the clause on battery power bank went unheeded.

The HC had then asked the MD to look into representation of the petitioner and respond to him. However, the response of the MPUVN was sent across (after numerous reminders) in the form of a sheet that was totally illegible (as it was completely black).

“This indicated that the MPUVN MD was not taking the court instructions seriously and made light of the entire issue. Therefore we decided to file another PIL to bring the agency to account,” Levy said.

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