The State government has agreed to constitute a committee headed by a senior officer to go into allegations of misuse of funds for repairs to hospitals under the ambit of AP Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (APVVP).
The decision of the government was announced in the Assembly by Health Minister D. Nagender during question hour on Thursday. On a suggestion, he assured members that they would also be represented on the panel. He also agreed to get construction works of APVVP hospitals transferred from its engineering wing to the AP Health, Medical, Housing and Infrastructure Development Corporation.
The Minister was replying to a question by Congress MLAs, D.L. Ravindra Reddy and R. Damodar Reddy, who challenged that they would prove misuse of funds if an inquiry was ordered. They wanted an IPS officer to head the probe.
Dr. Ravindra Reddy alleged that there were a handful of corrupt officials in the engineering wing of the APVVP, who resorted to large scale misuse of funds as a result of which the buildings of the institution were in a pathetic condition. In 2006-07, repairs worth Rs.8 crore were taken up but only Rs.2 crore was spent. The officials siphoned off the remaining money.
Mr. Damodar Reddy said he saw for himself the poor quality of sanitary pipes at the Suryapet Area Hospital. Responding to a suggestion by him, the Minister assured recovery of money from guilty officers besides action against them.
Social Welfare Minister P. Subhash Chandra Bose said, in reply to a separate question, that the government would launch construction of buildings for 1,115 social welfare hostels housed in rented premises and 115 other hostels in dilapidated condition on February 1. The detailed estimates for these works to be taken up at mandal headquarters villages at a cost of Rs.1,144 crore would be prepared by December. All buildings would function as integrated hostels.
