Delay in qrtrs: CAG raps Health Min, Safd Hosp

CAG has noted that an expenditure of Rs 1.80 crore on land acquisition and interest impact of Rs 2.09 crore was "unfruitful`.

New Delhi: Rapping the Ministry of Health and
Safdarjung Hospital for inordinate delay and lax approach for
building staff quarters for nurses, the Comptroller and
Auditor General has noted that an expenditure of Rs 1.80 crore
on land acquisition and interest impact of Rs 2.09 crore was
"unfruitful`.

"Inordinate delays and lackadaisical approach of the
Ministry and the Hospital has led to non-commencement of work
of construction of staff quarters for nurses depriving them of
the intended facility," the CAG said in its report.
The auditor said that, "the expenditure of Rs 1.80 crore
incurred by the Ministry on acquisition of land alongwith an
interest impact of Rs 2.09 crore has been rendered unfruitful
as the Hospital was looking for an alternate land near the
Hospital for the project."
The CAG stated that the Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare decided in March 1995 to acquire land from Delhi
Development Authority (DDA) for construction of additional
accommodation for the nursing staff of Safdarjung Hospital,
for which land was allotted to it in Dwarka.

Later the Department related it to the comments of
Parliamentary Standing Committee on Health and Family Welfare
on demands for grants (2010-11), which viewed that
accommodation should be nearest to the Hospital, especially
for nurses who are rendering 24-hour services.

Thus, after 10 years of acquiring the land, construction
has not commenced and the Hospital was now proposing to
exchange the property, with a two-acre piece of land near the
Hospital in lieu of the land in Dwarka.

The CAG audit noted that poor coordination among various
stakeholders involved in construction, led to inordinate delay
in completion of the project and the objective of providing
staff quarters to nurses remained unfulfilled.

PTI

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