SHILLONG, Sept 13: Minister in-charge Health James K Sangma on Tuesday said the government is engaging with a new party which can give a better deal to ensure the project for construction of the Shillong Medical College (SMC) is viable and does not become a white elephant.
Replying in the Assembly, Sangma informed that the project for construction of the SMC is under active consideration.
“The government is exploring new modalities of implementation including better terms of public-private partnership (PPP) and the possibility of seeking support from DEA-NITI Aayog, Government of India,” he said.
A foundation stone was laid at the RP Chest (TB) Hospital land for construction of the SMC after an agreement was signed with the KPC group in 2012.
The minister however informed that the government has provided an alternative land of 50 acres in the New Shillong Township for setting up of the SMC after the earlier proposed land was found to be infeasible when replying to a supplementary query by North Shillong legislator Adelbert Nongrum.
He said the location at Mawbah, where the RP chest hospital is located has many complications. “The approach road leading to the (proposed) site is very narrow and would become a problem in the future. The area is very congested and would affect functioning of the college,” Sangma added.
The minister further stated that the location does not comply with the guidelines of the MCI.
“The government has taken lots of steps to ensure this project see the light of day rather than sticking to one location. We have cancelled the earlier PPP (signed with KPC Group) and we are engaging with a new party which can give us a better deal,” he said.
The decision of the government to go for an alternative land did not go down well with West Shillong legislator Mohendro Rapsang when he demanded that since the foundation was already laid, the medical college should also come up there. “No doubt it is congested but once you go inside it is a huge empty land,” he justified.
To this, the minister urged the member to look at the issue from the entire state perspective instead of constituency specific. Reiterating that the present site is not viable for the project, Sangma said, “We have wiped the slate clean so that we can make the project viable and ensure it grows on its own in an organic manner.”
When Umroi legislator George Lyngdoh enquired into the reasons that led to the cancellation of the PPP with the KPC Group, the minister said that land was one of the points of disagreement.
“They (KPC Group) wanted additional land for the project and to extend the lease from 30 years to 99 years besides increasing the fee structure,” he said.
