KOCHI: In the wake of the delay in the construction work of the Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) building, the Assembly Committee on Estimates formed by the state government will inspect the site on Friday and evaluate the progress. Vypeen MLA S Sarma is the chairman of the committee, which was formed in 2016.
MLAs K C Joseph, A P Anil Kumar, C K Saseendran, T V Rajesh, P K Abdu Rabb, Manjalamkuzhi Ali, Kovoor Kunjumon, B D Devassy, K Rajan and G S Jayalal are among the members. Sources said the committee would convene meetings with the special officer and District Collector S Suhas to discuss the construction’s progress and later submit the report to the state government.
Members of the Justice V R Krishna Iyer Movement had already written to S Sarma regarding the delay in the construction work. “It has been five years since the foundation stone of the centre was laid. What is causing the delay? We have requested the chairman of the committee (Sarma) to probe whether any misappropriation of funds is taking place,” said N K Sanil Kumar, member of the movement.
A major part of the construction of the CCRC building is undertaken by INKEL Ltd. It had sublet the construction work to Chennai-based P&C Projects. It later served a termination notice to the firm for failing to undertake the construction work in time. CCRC authorities said the building construction was progressing and they had increased the number of workers from 200 to nearly 400.