Thursday, January 31, 2013

Karuna's dream project scrapped.....


Declining to interfere with a major policy decision of the AIADMK government, the Madras High Court upheld the shifting of the Legislative Assembly-cum-Secretariat complex back from the Omandurar Government Estate to Fort St. George and the plan to convert the structure into a multi super-specialty hospital and a government medical college.
Dismissing petitions challenging the shifting of the Secretariat and the proposal to use the building as a hospital, a specially-constituted Division Bench comprising Justices K.N. Basha and N. Paul Vasanthakumar said the decision to convene the sitting of the Legislative Assembly and the Secretariat was purely a matter of internal procedure adopted by the Legislature. This court was not entitled to interfere in the said decision, particularly when no violation of any constitutional provision was attracted.
The decision to establish the hospital was announced in the Assembly, which also approved it. It was a policy decision to convert the complex into a hospital. The court said the decision to convert the structure could not be stated to be arbitrary. The policy would promote and protect public interest, more particularly, weaker sections for getting better and expert treatment for serious ailments.
It is made clear that the government should take all necessary steps for giving treatment to the poor and deserving people free of cost. The petitions were filed by R. Veeramani and S.A. Miyajan.                Mr. Veeramani, contended that the government’s decision was arbitrary and opposed to public interest. The decision to convert the Assembly-cum-Secretariat complex, which was specifically designed and constructed for that purpose, into a hospital was due to non-application of mind and based on no material.
Accepting the submission of Senior Counsel Rakesh Dwivedi and Advocate-General A.Navaneethakrishnan, the Bench said on a perusal of Art.174 of the Constitution (Sessions of State Legislature, prorogation and dissolution), it was evident that the Governor should from time to time summon the House to meet at such time and place as he thought fit. The provision nowhere stated that the same would apply only for first sitting as contended by the petitioner’s counsel. The words used were ‘from time to time’ and ‘to meet at such time and place.’ Messrs.Justices Basha and Paul Vasanthakumar said for implementing the decision to establish a hospital, an expert committee was constituted which visited the Omanthurar Government Estate along with technical experts, including architects. Based on their opinion further steps were taken for converting the ‘A’ Block of the new structure into a hospital. The government’s decision was perfectly valid and legal.
The government decision could not be stated to be arbitrary or hasty without any material on record. If a multi-super specialty hospital was established, it would promote public interest. The authorities had obtained environmental clearance and a no objection certificate from the Fire and Rescue Services Department for the conversion of the new building. Applications had been made to the TNPCB and the CMDA.
As the issue of grant of environmental clearance for the conversion was pending before the National Green Tribunal, the court said it could not go into that aspect. It was the authorities’ specific stand that the present endeavour was not to make any new construction, but only to modify the existing structure.
As per the submission before the court, the present government had proposed to spend Rs.26.94 crore to change the Assembly complex as a Multi-Super Speciality Hospital. Fort St. George would be renovated at a cost of Rs.28 crore.

Work begins to convert into hospital:
Within hours of the Madras High Court upholding the government’s decision to convert the Assembly-cum-Secretariat complex on the Government Estate on Anna Salai into a multi-super-specialty hospital, the authorities lost no time in beginning construction. Trucks carrying sand and other construction material and earth-movers moved into the complex late in the evening and helmeted workers and supervisors got busy. Officials said the work had begun on both the hospital in Block A and the proposed medical college in Block B.
Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, inaugurated the new complex in ‘A’ Block on March 13, 2010. In the new building, the first session was held during April and May 2010, second session in November that year, third in January 2011 with the Governor’s address and the four sessions was in February 2011.

The six-storey structure which spans an area of 9.3 lakh sq ft will now house a super specialty hospital.

Floors
Treatments
Ground
Emergency & Outpatient ward, Cardiology, Cardiothoracic surgery, neurology and neurosurgery
I
Clinical outpatient ward, surgical oncology, hand reconstruction surgery and vascular surgery
II
Diagnostic labs (microbiology and pathology labs), administration office
III
General Ward
IV
V
Special Ward
VI
Operation Theatre
Block B
Medical College (to be built)


THE MAKING OF A HOSPITAL: A 5-YEAR SAGA
June 2008: Former Chief Minister M Karunanidhi lays foundation stone
March 2010: Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh inaugurates the complex
February 2011: Interim budget presented in the new Assembly
May 2011: Chief Minister Jayalalithaa abandons secretariat complex and takes oath in Fort St. George
August 2011: Jayalalithaa announces a multi-specialty hospital and medical college in the secretariat premises
January 30, 2013: Begins to work as hospital




Supreme Court quashed the petition filed on this issue and said the same reason said by the Madras High Court.

No comments:

Post a Comment