Hurdles cleared, work to resume on SGPC’s medical institute in K’shetra
STALLED FOR 11 YEARS, 300BEDDED HOSPITAL LIKELY TO START FROM 2018 AND MEDICAL COLLEGE WITH 100 MBSS SEATS FROM 2019
KURUKSHETRA: Stalled for 11 years, the construction of Miri Piri Institute of Medical Sciences and Research in Shahabad will soon be resumed as the pending issues to set up the hospital and medical college have been cleared.
Launched in 2002, it is an ambitious project of Shiromani Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC), which was awaiting the change of land use (CLU) certificate for 25 acres and no-objection certificate (NOC) since 2005.
Sources said now all the issues have been cleared and the construction for the 300-bedded hospital will resume soon. It will be later expanded to 500-bedded hospital and research centre. The medical college with 100 MBBS seats will start by 2019, for which the Haryana health department has already given approval.
“All the major hurdles have been cleared and the construction for the hospital will resume soon,” Baldev Singh Kiampuri, senior vice-president, SGPC, told Hindustan Times.
Asked about the proposed budget allocation of Rs 104 by the SGPC for the project, he said, “A meeting in this regard has been held in Chandigarh and the budget for the completion of the building and other facilities will be allocated soon.”
Sources said that inaugurated in 2001 by former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, the Rs 150crore project was hanging fire as the Congress-led previous governments did not issue the CLU certificate and NOC for the hospital since 2006.
Later the issue turned political when Sikh leaders from the state demanded formation of a separate Sikh body, Haryana Sikh Gurdwara Prabhandhak Committee, alleging that the SGPC was not allocating required funds in Haryana.
“It was a long battle that started in 2005, when the Shahbad administration issued a notice stopping construction work sue to lack of CLU certificate for the 20 acres of land given by the Gurdwara Mastgarh Sahib on lease for 99 years and 5 acres purchased by the SGPC,” said an official of the institute, requesting anonymity.
“The institute is the victim of politics and delay in the construction has delayed required health facilities to the people of the region, who have to travel to Chandigarh and other cities for treatment,” he added.
At present, an OPD, with 30 specialists, 6 emergency medical officers and 50 paramedical staff, is functional and the SGPC allocates about Rs 5 crore every year for the maintenance of the hospital.
The income of the hospital is only Rs 60 lakh per year.
Sources said now Haryana Health Minister Anil Vij was showing interest in setting up of the medical college and hospital in Shahbad.
Though the hospital, research institute and the medical college will be operated and financed by the SGPC, it will provide treatment as per the norms of the government hospitals.