KOCHI: Mr P. Rajeev, former MP and CPM Ernakulam district secretary, has alleged that the UDF government had been cheating the people of Kochi on the cancer centre issue.
He was referring to the statement of health secretary Dr K. Elangovan reported by DC on Friday that the state cabinet had not accepted the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of the Kochi cancer centre prepared by the central government-owned HSCC.
Dr Elangovan had made the statement in response to questions from DC. In a statement issued here on Saturday, Mr Rajeev said, “it has been revealed that the chief minister, who laid the foundation stone for the cancer centre without even approving the project draft and by making Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer, who struggled for the centre, a witness, is trying to deceive the people once again. Now the promise of completing the project within two years too remains broken,” said Mr Rajeev.
“Normally, the foundation stone is laid after the approval of the DPR, giving administrative sanction and then awarding the project through tender. I, as an MP, had raised the demand to entrust the construction work with the Hospital Service Consultancy Corporation HSCC and spoken to the MD also in this regard. The project could have been awarded to the HSCC through nomination without going for tender. However, the government laid the foundation stone and deceived the people without even obtaining administrative sanction,” said Mr Rajeev.
He pointed out that so far the state government had not been able to initiate a discussion on the DPR prepared by the HSCC and intervene in the conditions set by it to protect the interests of the state. “A strong people’s protest will be organised against the approach of the government,” he said.
