Pratik Parab
pratik@herald-goa.com
MARGAO: People of South Goa will have to wait for some more time as the much awaited opening of the District Hospital is all set to miss yet another deadline – January 31.
The State Government’s tall claims of meeting the deadlines to complete the South Goa District Hospital have fallen flat as the contractor has been forced to abandon the work for want of payment. Though the Goa State Infrastructure Development Corporation (GSIDC) claims that the contractor has received the payments, the work is moving at a snail’s pace which is sure to miss the Jan 31 deadline.
Sensing this delay, sources informed that the Hospicio Administration is already prepared to carry out pre-monsoon works.
As the Director of Health Services prepares to move Hospicio operations to the new South Goa District Hospital building, the Contractor reportedly abandoned the work in December due to pending payments to the tune of Rs 14 crore.
It is pertinent to note that earlier too, another contractor had abandoned the work on the payment issue and the Government was forced to retender the work.
A GSIDC official said, “A huge medical oxygen unit has been imported from the United Kingdom, which is likely to arrive by February-end.”
According to some officials, the operation theatres are ready but since medical oxygen unit is necessary, the hospital would miss the January 31 deadline. People have lost count of how many deadlines have been missed on this project. Sources informed that the Hospicio Administration has started preparing to carry out the pre-monsoon works of Hospicio. All this while, Hospicio was shifting the articles and apparatus to the new District Hospital premises.
Margao MLA Digambar Kamat said, “Payments to the tune of Rs 14 crore were pending and the contractor stopped work in December. However, the GSIDC has reportedly paid some amount to him. The Hospital was supposed to be partly opened on January 31 but given the work speed at present I have my doubts.”
Meanwhile, the PWD, which conducted an audit of the electrical fixtures within the Hospicio, had put their repairs and replacement at Rs 5 lakh.
Hospicio Medical Superintendent Ira Almeida said, “Two weeks ago, I had written to the PWD to execute the work of the fixtures worth Rs 5 lakh approximately. I am awaiting their reply since January 6.”
With regards to the building which houses the administrative offices and canteen, the PWD had conducted the audit of the civil structure too. The PWD has quoted an estimate of Rs 47 lakh for renovating the building as the cement has started peeling off. PWD has quoted Rs 2 crore for renovating the structure which has been now declared “unsafe”.
It is learnt that correspondence for according priority to the recruitment at the new District Hospital has been made but the file has got stuck in the Finance Department.
