Delhi L-G blames AAP for delay in hospital projects

PTI

New Delhi, June 22

Delhi LG V K Saxena on Thursday wrote to CM Arvind Kejriwal over “inordinately delayed” hospital projects in the city, alleging that the intention of the government has been only to create “publicity-supported hype”.

There was no immediate reaction from the Aam Aadmi Party-led city government.

Saxena said not only the construction work of the new hospital at Siraspur was running a year behind schedule, addition of beds in existing hospitals like Lok Nayak, Guru Gobind Singh, Dr BS Ambedkar, Rao Tula Ram and Aruna Asaf Ali was also delayed by more than three years.

“In the case of ambitious Indira Gandhi Hospital, works for which started way back in 2012-13, full completion is pending even after 10 years. It is unfortunate that works at the existing Bhagwan Mahavir, Aruna Asaf Ali and Deep Chand Bandhu hospitals, which were started in 2019 and were slated to be completed by 2020, remain held up with no fixed dates of completion,” the letter said.

The LG noted that the augmentation of beds in 17 hospitals and construction of one new hospital on time would have resulted in about 12,500 additional beds for the people of Delhi. He cited media reports on the “inordinately delayed hospital projects, that are running late and behind schedule by years against their stipulated time of completion”.

“It is a matter of grave concern for Delhi, where even as the population grows exponentially, something as basic as addition of beds and blocks to even existing hospitals is lagging behind,” the letter read.

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