Call for inter-dept meeting on Shillong medical college

SHILLONG: The Health and Family Welfare Department is soon going to request Chief Minister Conrad Sangma to convene an inter-departmental meeting to clear all the hurdles to pave way for establishment of the much delayed Shillong Medical College and Hospital.
Sources informed that the Law department has asked the Health department to decide on the legal issues on their own since many clauses in the new agreement with the KPC group have been modified due to the delay.
In addition, the department also needs 5-7 acres of additional land from Urban Affairs department near the Umsawli Hospital where the TB Hospital was supposed to be established.
It is learnt that the Health department has to pay the land revenue to the Urban Affairs for the land which was transferred earlier and now the amount has accumulated to a few crores of rupees. The Health department has moved for sanction but the payment has not yet been made to the Urban Affairs department.
In addition, the Finance department also has to approve several financial matters including the enhanced fees of the students besides some grants which the government would have to give to the hospital which will add some financial burden on the government.
Since all the matters pertaining to different departments need to be streamlined, the Health department would request the chief minister to convene an inter-departmental meeting to clear all the hurdles.
It is learnt that the government would have to invest around Rs 500 crore. As far as Tura Medical College is concerned, the project is progressing well and out of the Rs 234 crore, the government earlier had allotted Rs 23 crore.
The work for the project is making good progress as the construction agency has submitted a bill of more than Rs 60 crore to the state government for the work completed till now.