Karnataka: Construction work of Mandya hospital worth Rs 30 crore stuck in limbo
Mandya: The construction of Super Speciality Hospital (SSH) in premises of Mandya Institute of Medical Science (MIMS) estimated at Rs 30 crore has been hampered due to the alleged negligent attitude of officers in shifting a Tamil colony, whose residents are mostly economically marginalized people who were supposed to be rehabilitated.
With this, the fate of Mandya hospital hangs in mid-air for over five years.
According to a recent media report in The Hans India, the alleged negligence of the officials is responsible for the delay in the work, as they were given the responsibility to rehabilitate the original residents of the area by finding a suitable place.
Karnataka government had sanctioned Rs 30 crore for the construction of super speciality hospital (SSH) in premises of Mandya Institute of Medical Science (MIMS). But the plot was a residential area and the Karnataka high court had ordered the government to clear the Tamil colony and rehabilitate the residents by finding another suitable place.
The district administration had found a plot in Chikkamandya for rehabilitating the people in the Tamil colony. However after that, no action was taken in this regard. The high court had fixed the deadline for one and a half years for shifting the residents. However, no action has been taken for six years.
Further, the Rs 30 crore fund if not utilized by the official, would lapse.
A contempt of court petition was filed by a social activist in the high court but officials are not bothered, reports the Hans India.
Sources told the daily that Karnataka Slum Development Boardhas sought a time for one more year for rehabilitation as they are the ones responsible for construction at the site identified for construction of colony.
RTI worker K R Ravindra stated that they would file one more contempt petition in the court if the authorities do not take up construction work. He added that during the tenure of chief minister H D Kumaraswamy, over Rs 30 crore was sanctioned by the government and they had released around Rs 10 crore for the hospital.
According to advocate Ramaiah, the grants would go back after March next if the hospital work is not started by the officials. Similarly, the Rs 50 crores grant sanctioned for development of Mandya city would also lapse if the work is not completed. He added that the development work has gotten affected due to the negligent attitude of elected representatives and officials.
The issue of the SSH was put for discussion by the Mandya MLA M Srinivas at the Belagavi assembly session last week. The state medical education minister Dr Sudhakar pointed out that a meeting of state sewerage abolition board and MIMS would be organized soon to sort out the issue.
Adding that the construction of houses for rehabiliation is in final stage in Chikkamandya, the Mandya deputy commissioner S Ashwathi said, "We will shift the Tamil colony within next two months."
The sources told Hans India that many influential and privileged entrepreneurs have encroached upon the MIMS land, who are running nursing, degree and ITI colleges in encroached area. So if the tamil colony is cleared, then these colleges would also be demolished as they stand in the way.
There are over 524 homes in the Tamil colony, and the families are said to get allotted houses in Chikkamandya.
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