BHUBANESWAR: The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has raised serious concerns regarding slow pace of progress in construction works of the government medical college at Jajpur. The medical college and hospital at the industrially-rich Jajpur was sanctioned as part of the Phase II of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY). The 100-seat new MCH project is being implemented at a cost of around Rs 430 crore and was to be completed by 2020..
In a missive to the State government, the Ministry has cited though the entire Central share for the college has already been released to the State, yet only about 28 per cent (pc) construction has been completed. Asking the Health and Family Welfare department to submit the reasons behind the delay in construction of the infrastructure, the Ministry has asked to expedite and complete the project at the earliest.
Sources said the State government had taken up the project in mid-2018. It was decided to set up the medical college after upgrading the existing district headquarters hospital. Accordingly, the Collector was asked to identify 20 acre of land in the close proximity of the DHH.
The project was then delayed due to local agitations over selection of site as a major section of the district demanded the college to come up at Panikoili. However, the site for the project was selected at Ankula after the administration agreed to set up a trauma care centre at Panikoili.
A senior Health department official said the construction of Jajpur MCH had to wait due to delay in selection of site by nearly two years. The implementing agency L&T is constructing the main building, hostel block, staff residential quarters and ancillary buildings on turn-key basis. The project would be ready by the end of 2023, he said.