HC asks AP govt to foot bill for fish medicine

 Andhra Pradesh High Court on Friday ordered the state government to organise the fish distribution at the exhibition grounds and provide facilities for the asthma patients arriving here.

The court gave the direction on the petition filed by Bathina Goud brothers after Andhra Pradesh Lokayukta provided conditional permission on Wednesday for the fish distribution event, asking Hyderabad collector to charge the organisers for the expenses to host it. Bathina Harinath Goud pleaded that fish distribution is a free service and the state should therefore bear the expenses. The court’s direction is only for this year.

With the High Court verdict clearing the way, the Goud family is preparing to conduct fish distribution for Saturday and Sunday. Members of the family performed the pooja at their ancestral home where the prasadam (medicine) is prepared and stored in large containers.
The herbal paste will be stuffed into the mouth of a live murrel fish fingerling, which the patient is asked to swallow, as part of the asthma cure.

“As the High court has directed the government to take up bandobast for distribution, I can now fully concentrate on my work, providing cure to the poor asthma patients,” Harinath Goud said.