Bhopal/Jabalpur: Hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) over the largely dysfunctional Cancer Institute at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Medical College, Jabalpur, a division bench of the MP high court found that an amount of Rs 84 crore was allocated 9 years ago for the purchase of equipment and machines for the institute, but the purchase has not been made yet. Following this, the court has summoned principal secretary, medical education, and managing director, MP Public Health Services Corporation.
The court was told that the tender floated earlier had to be cancelled as only one or two bidders participated in the tender.
Advocate Vikas Mahawar from Jabalpur, in his PIL, said that the Cancer Institute at Jabalpur Medical College lies largely defunct as it doesn’t have the necessary equipment and machines to treat cancer patients. In the year 2016, the govt allocated Rs 84 crore for the purchase of equipment and machines, but there have not been any purchases made so far.
During the hearing of the petition, the court was informed on behalf of the state govt that tenders were floated two or three times for purchase, but they were cancelled for technical reasons. The MP Public Health Service Corporation was supposed to make the purchases. The court then summoned the principal secretary, medical education, and MD, MP Public Health Service Corporation in this regard.
The two officials told the court that only one or two bids were received in response to the tender; therefore, the tenders were cancelled. The tenders have been floated again and are likely to be opened on May 6. The court, while directing the officials to take a decision on the purchase of equipment and machines for the centre irrespective of the number of bids received when the tenders open on May 6, deferred the hearing of the case to May 13.
