The State Human Rights Commission on Monday said the government was cheating the public on the promise to build a cancer hospital.
Commission chairman Justice J. B. Koshy, while taking up a petition regarding the cancer hospital at the Civil Station conference hall here on Monday, said the intention of the government was unclear and smacked of delaying tactics.
Mr. Koshy wanted to know why another project report was needed after laying the foundation stone for the Rs. 450-crore, 300-bed hospital based on the detailed project report by HSCC, a hospital construction company in the public sector.
It was made known to the Commission that the Finance Department had objected to funding the cancer centre because it was not included in the year’s Budget. The foundation stone was laid last year in August. The government also wanted to have another project report that would compare the cancer centre in Thiruvananthapuram, the Malabar Cancer Centre and the one to come up in Kochi.
Mr. Koshy said the government was dithering over the promise given to late V.R. Krishna Iyer. He ordered the government to present all the details regarding the cancer centre at a sitting of the Commission on August 25 in Ernakulam.
The government had mooted the annuity model to construct the hospital because of no budgetary support. However, it was argued that this route would eventually cost much more than the estimated Rs. 450 crore.
