Repeated tenders for scrap fail to yield desirable results
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, July 10: The Jammu and Kashmir Industries Limited’s redundant material is delaying start of work on Medicity at Miran Sahib in Jammu district even after completion of all the procedural formalities by the Industries and Commerce Department like administrative approval for creation of infrastructure and allotment of contract.
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On December 16, 2021, the Jammu and Kashmir Administrative Council approved the proposal of Industries and Commerce Department to establish two Medi-cities, one each at Sempora, Pampore in Kashmir Valley and Miran Sahib in Jammu division in order to strengthen the health services in the Union Territory and support recovery and disaster resilience in calamity prone areas by increasing the Government’s capacity to promptly respond to emergency situations.
Around 100 kanals of land under the possession of Jammu and Kashmir Industries Limited at Miran Sahib was identified for the Medicity for being located close to the main city and the Industries Limited authorities were directed to get the redundant material of its erstwhile facility removed from the land as early as possible so as to pave the way for start of the work.
Vide Government Order No.176(JK) Ind of 2023 dated September 12, 2023 administrative approval was accorded to the development of Medicity at Miran Sahib at a cost of Rs 755.96 lakh. Even a contract was awarded for fencing of land, construction of roads, drainage system and raising of power supply infrastructure etc.
However, despite all these formalities the development work for the Medicity could not be started till date as redundant material has not been removed from the site by the Jammu and Kashmir Industries Limited, official sources told EXCELSIOR.
They informed that tenders for lifting of scrap and redundant material from the land were floated at least seven times but the exercise could not be completed successfully because of one or the other reason. In the meanwhile, one of the company inadvertently quoted Rs 22 crore for lifting of material although in the earlier tenders the highest quoted amount was around Rs 5 crore.
“This has created a complex situation and now it has been decided that matter will be taken up at the high-level committee headed by Administrative Secretary of the Industries and Commerce Department for resolution of the issue”, sources said.
When contacted, an officer of the Industries and Commerce Department confirmed, on the condition of anonymity, that due to redundant material of Jammu and Kashmir Industries Limited the work on development of Medicity could not be started till date even after completion of all the formalities. “We are quite hopeful of early resolution of redundant material lifting issue and thereafter work will begin”, he added.
In response to a question, the officer said, “the Government will provide land in the Medicity as per the laid down procedure for establishment of different healthcare facilities”, adding “several applications for the allotment of land have been received and once the issue of lifting of redundant material is resolved a high-level committee will start making allotment of land as per the policy approved by the Government”.
It is pertinent to mention here that in the Jammu and Kashmir Industrial Land Allotment Policy, there is a provision for allotment of land for the Medicity for activities such as establishment of Hospital/ Medical College/ Paramedic college and Diagnostic Lab with Research Centre.
In the policy, evaluation criteria for land notified for development of Medicity has been laid down and committees at different levels have been constituted for processing the applications for allotment of land in the Medicity.
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