Visakhapatnam, May 23: Aranyika, a voluntary organisation which has been functioning for the tribal welfare in the Agency area of the district has asked ITDA Project Officer, G Venkatram Reddy to allow them to voluntarily serve the poor and needy patients of the Paderu Community Health Centre.

The Project Director on April 4 had allotted the unused old RTC Complex building at Paderu for a period of 6 months to Aranyika to run a mess when the latter assured to provide food to the hospital patients without seeking any funds from the government.

But the order was reversed by the authorities on April 14 and Aranyika approached the High Court for justice which had issued status quo on April 20. When the Jeevam volunteers have started cleaning the allotted area, the Paderu police had arrested them and filed an FIR under Sections 448 and 188 of IPC, despite the court orders.

Aranyika director M Malini said that they had obtained the legal opinion about the status quo which said it does not mean not only right to continue but also could carry out the activity for which it was allotted.

In this connection a workshop on “innovative effort to involve the civil society to render health service through government facilities” is being organised at Paderu on May 25 and 26. As part of the workshop, the Jeevam volunteers would take out a massive silent rally appealing the authorities to allow them serve the society and submit a memorandum to the ITDA PO.

When Deccan Chronicle enquired the patients of the AP Vaidya Vidhan Parishad Community Health Centre, Paderu, they said that they were getting good medicare in the hospital.

One P Ramdora of Paderu said “the Jeevam volunteers were supplementing various medical services daily and helping the patients”. Jeevam president K Krishna Rao said that with the co-operation of the ITDA authorities they were ready to render voluntary services to the poor.