Not paid Rs 7 cr, contractor halts hospital construction

Ambika Sharma
Tribune News Service
Solan, August 3
The contractor engaged for the construction of a multi-specialty hospital on the Kather bypass in Solan has stopped the work as the state government has not paid Rs 7 crore dues to him for the past several months.
The government is facing a severe cash crunch and hence is unable to provide adequate funds for the project. The present Regional Hospital caters to the medical needs of the residents of Solan and Sirmaur as well as nearby areas of Shimla district. It receives an outdoor patient load of nearly 15,000 per day and the old building is unable to provide the requisite facilities in its limited space. The idea to construct this new hospital was mooted to cater to the growing patient influx.
The previous BJP government had allocated 59,814 sq m land on the Kather bypass for the construction of the new hospital. It had sanctioned Rs 29 crore as against the total cost of Rs 90.33 crore.
The project cost went up to Rs 110 crore after the minister wanted a helipad to be constructed to facilitate the operation of an air ambulance for critical patients and Rs 30 crore was sought from the government to complete the first block.
This is despite the fact that Solan is the home constituency of Health and Family Welfare Minister DR Shandil, who claims that there will be no funds constraint for its construction.
Medical Superintendent Dr Sandeep Jain said that the contractor had put the construction work on hold. He added that they were hopeful that funds would be provided to them soon as Shandil was pursuing the issue at the highest level.
Meanwhile, Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shailendra Gupta alleged that the Health Minister had failed to strengthen health services in his home constituency which were deteriorating in the entire state. Though it was his dream project, the work on the hospital had remained halted for the past over a month.
“Even half of the work has not been completed though the date to complete the construction work is eight months away. Immediate funds should be provided to comlete this key task within the stipulated time,” he added.

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