Bhubaneswar, Jan. 2: Proper healthcare may remain a chimera for the people of western Orissa.

The Western Orissa Development Council (WODC) recently cancelled the memorandum of understanding with GSL Trust of Rajahmundry, the promoter of two medical colleges there, following inordinate delay in starting work.

The medical colleges at Bolangir and Rourkela were chief minister Naveen Patnaik?s sops for western Orissa in the run-up to the Assembly elections earlier this year. After the government sat on the proposals for a long time, Patnaik laid the foundation stones for three medical colleges, including the two in question, on the same day. The third one was to come up at Kalahandi.

The WODC has intimated the government about the cancellation of the agreement with the trust last week, council chairman Ainthu Sahu said. The trust had agreed to set up a 100-bed medical college and hospital at Bolangir and a 150-bed one at Rourkela.

According to the agreement, the council sanctioned Rs 10 crore and the government agreed to provide 25 acres of land for each college.

WODC sources said the site selected for the proposed medical college and hospital at Bolangir did not have road connectivity. Initially, the trust had agreed to construct a road but it later expressed its unwillingness to do so. When the council volunteered to construct the road, the trust rejected the site saying it was not ?suitable?.

In Bolangir, the government had earmarked land at Kuanrmunda and Tarkera for the medical college and hospital respectively.

However, the Medical Council of India suggested that both the college and the hospital be set up at Tarkera. The government later allotted 13 acres of land in Tarkera.

In Rourkela, since the government did not have surplus land, the council approached authorities of the Rourkela Steel Plant, who agreed to provide the additional land.

However, the trust reportedly did not evince further interest in the projects. The council had no option but to terminate the MoU with the trust to avoid further delay, Sahu said, adding that fresh negotiations would be started.