Panel to review Rs 89L proposal for long-pending repairs at PGI houses

The priority committee today held a meeting to hear a Rs 89 lakh proposal for essential fixes and maintenance work of the long-delayed repair project for around 100 government houses in PGI’s Sector-12 residential complex.

These houses — covering multiple types including I, II, III, IV, 13D, 13JE, 13JC, 13JFE, 11H, 12H, B1, B2, and C — had been lying in disrepair for years.

According to official records, the site had been inspected in June by the Assistant Engineer and Junior Engineer, with the case brought fresh to the committee’s agenda. The repair works are estimated to take five months to complete.

The decision came against the backdrop of a housing crisis at PGI, where 322 government houses remain vacant, resulting in an annual loss of Rs 5.5 crore. Many of the quarters have been locked since 2017, with numerous employees forced to rent costly accommodation far from the hospital — affecting both their personal finances and patient services.

A recent fitness report declared many of the houses unfit for living, citing structural cracks, roof leakages, faulty plumbing, unsafe electrical wiring and damaged doors and windows. Despite the acute shortage of staff accommodation, delays in repair tenders and procedural approvals had kept the houses idle. Over the last six years, the cumulative financial loss to PGI from vacant housing and HRA payouts was estimated at over Rs 20 crore.

RTI exposes years of neglect

A Right to Information application filed by Ashwani Kumar Munjal, chairperson of the joint action commitee of PGI Contract Workers Union, on July 9 has brought into sharp focus the scale of housing mismanagement at the PGI.

The RTI reply, dated August 12 2025, revealed that 322 faculty and non-faculty houses across Sectors 12 and 24 have been lying vacant for periods ranging from several months to over seven years. Many of these quarters were awaiting “fitness reports” from the Engineering Department, a procedural delay that effectively stalled repairs and allotments.

The documents show that some houses had been vacated as far back as 2017, yet remained unallotted despite high demand for on-campus accommodation.

Following the RTI disclosures and subsequent pressure from employees’ representatives, the House Allotment Committee met on July 30, leading to the allotment of 27 fit houses to faculty members, doctors, nurses and technical staff. The allotment is a mix of Type-I to Type-VII houses in Sectors 12 and 24.

While the move offers partial relief, over 295 houses remain locked due to disrepair, location issues, or incomplete safety clearances.