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The fans at the boys’ hostel in PMCH, Dhanbad, remain defunct without connections on Monday. Picture by Gautam Dey
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Two brand new hostels ready, but students of Patliputra Medical College and Hospital are still living in rooms that are falling apart, thanks to government apathy.
One hostel meant for boys and one for girls — to accommodate 100 students each — are ready, but stuck in red tape. While the boys’ hostel was handed over three days ago minus power connection, the girls’ hostel needs ceiling fans to be installed in the rooms.
The fully ready hostels were meant to be handed over for use on September 30, 2012.
The hostels have been constructed at a cost of Rs 2.7 crore by contractor Jitendra Kumar Singh of Messers Vishvesharaiya Construction. While the project was supposed to begin on July 31, 2008 to be completed by January 30, 2010, the contractor received money late, with the last instalment of Rs 70 lakh being paid in January 2012, delaying construction.
Said a perturbed PMCH principal Arun Kumar Chaudhary: “We could not allot rooms in the boys’ hostel as it does not have electricity connection even after us writing to Jharkhand State Electricity Board four times since October 6, 2012.”
He added that the internal wiring was ready and all that was needed was the connection from the electric pole to the building.
“JSEB engineers have come to the hostels several times and taken measurements, but we are yet to get the connection,” said Chaudhary.
JSEB executive engineer Mukul Garware said since PMCH is a high-tension consumer and a 12KVA connection has been allotted to it, there was no point in applying for a fresh connection and the agency that carried out the construction should have used the existing line.
The PMCH principal said if that was the case, why were the JSEB engineers taking measurements and why did the executive engineer not respond to his application immediately and inform him about the rules.
Regarding the delay in handing over the girls’ hostel, Chaudhary said since fans were yet to be installed despite repeated reminders to the building division.
Executive engineer of building division Manoj Kumar Mahli said orders for 100 fans to be procured at a cost of Rs 2.5 lakh had already been placed and the hostel would be handed over in the first week of February.
PMCH at present has five hostels of 50 beds each, including two for boys, two for girls and one for interns.
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