Parliament panel pulls up PGI over delay in projects

Tribune News Service

Naina Mishra

Chandigarh, March 26

The Parliamentary Committee of Rajya Sabha has pulled up the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, for inordinate delays in infrastructural projects and failure to fill over 1,000 vacancies.

‘Fill 1,686 vacant posts without delay’

• The Parliamentary Committee of Rajya Sabha also pulled up the PGI over its failure to fill 1,686 vacancies. The committee directed the institute to address the shortage of workforce at all levels and fill the vacant posts at various levels without further delay.

The committee noted that there had been inordinate delay in the setting up of a satellite centre of the PGI at Sangrur (Punjab). “The project was 98 per cent complete and the expected date of completion was December 2021. However, the, ministry, in its written submission, has stated that the project is now expected to complete by June this year. The committee wants to know the reason behind extending deadlines when the project is almost complete,” read the report.

The committee has strongly recommended to the PGI to follow the timeline in setting up of the satellite centres at Una and Ferozepur.

“The PGI satellite centres at Sangrur, Una and Ferozepur be completed without delay in order to cater to the healthcare needs of the patients who account for more than 1 lakh admissions every year and close to 30 lakh patients in OPDs annually,” stated the committee.

While pointing at the delay in the project of ‘modernisation of Research Block A and B and modernisation of Nehru Hospital’, the committee stated that it was mainly due to the non-performance by the construction agency allotted the work. The committee desired that the institute expedited the review process and completed the modernisation project without further delay.

Over the delay in filling total 1,686 posts of various cadres at the PGI, the committee directed the institute to address the shortage of workforce at all levels and fill the vacant posts at various levels without further delay.

The committee noted that despite the institute filling the vacancies twice every year, in July and December, 36 posts of professor are vacant against the sanctioned strength of 70 and 91 posts of assistant professor are vacant against the sanctioned strength of 652.

In its reply to the committee, the institute had stated that approximately 150 vacancies of different categories of promotional posts could not be filled due to cases pending in court. The institute is filing an application before the Supreme Court for vacating the status quo, so that the lot of promotional posts of ministerial, nursing as well as technical cadres could be filled. The institute stated that it had hired supporting staff (laboratory attendants, hospital attendants and medical record technicians) through outsourcing agencies, keeping in view the requirement of the institute and in interest of patients.

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