'Satyamev Jayate' makes huge impact on Congress party in Pune

In what can be called as an ‘impact’ of Aamir Khan’s television show Satyamev Jayate, Congress party leader in the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC), Arvind Shinde, has demanded an explanation from the civic administration as to why was the Pre-conception and Pre Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PCPNDT) cell disbanded.

Soon after the first episode of the show, which was based on female foeticide, was aired, the Congress took up the issue with the administration.

Shinde has written to the municipal commissioner Mahesh Pathak demanding an explanation as to why the cell was dissolved.

The cell, formed as per the instructions of the state government on
June 1, 2011, was responsible for makings visits to sonography centres, checking registrations and licences, conducting sting operations to check sex determination tests and submitting reports to the government.

The civic body’s PCPNDT cell had a team of four doctors for monitoring the effective implementation of the Act. The cell was dissolved in January this year and zonal medical officers were given the responsibility to see that the Act is not violated.

“The zonal medical officers already have 22 other jobs on their list. How will they be able to manage this additional responsibility? Keeping a check on sonography centres in the city is an important task.

“However, the zonal officers are not able to do justice to it due to other responsibilities,” said Shinde, adding that there are more than 400 authorised sonography centres in the city, while the number of illegal centres is more than 150.

“The cell was closed down within six months. Why and on whose orders? The administration should inform the corporators about the whole affair in writing. Why has the cell been disbanded at a time when the sex ratio in the country is dwindling,” he asked.

The director of Family Planning Association of India (FPAI) had also shot a letter to the PMC asking why the cell was disbanded.