Patna, Feb. 8: The high court today asked the central government to file a status report by February 15 with regard to making Jai Prakash Narayan All India Institute of Medical Sciences (JPNAIIMS) operational within its scheduled time.

A division bench comprising Justice P.C. Verma and Justice A.K. Trivedi passed the direction while hearing a PIL filed by council for protection of public rights and welfare secretary and advocate M.P. Gupta seeking speedy completion of the project.

The high court on June 29, 2011, fixed the deadline for the central government to make JPNAIIMS hospital at Phulwarisharif operational by October 2, 2012.

The court today asked the Centre to file its latest status report by February enumerating details like the appointment of doctors, professors, employees and officers of grade I to IV, purchase of equipment and apparatus, actual position of construction of buildings, accommodation for doctors, professors, employees and officers and its director. The court also wanted to know from the Centre as to when the hospital and medical college would start functioning.

Appearing for the petitioner, advocate Brajesh Kumar submitted that according to Supreme Court judgment, jobs of grade III and IV should be given to those people whose land has been acquired for the purpose of constructing the super-specialty hospital.

The Telegraph, which visited the AIIMS construction site on February 2, had reported in its February 3 edition that the upcoming medical college and hostels for undergraduate, postgraduate students and nurses are almost 70 per cent complete. But the hospital would take at least 10-11 months for completion.

The officials at the site remained tightlipped on the chances of meeting or missing the deadline. However, a senior supervisor said the outpatient department could be “hurriedly” started.

“There is a lot of pressure to complete the construction at the earliest and to get the hospital started by October 2. However, it could only happen by the year-end as work of this magnitude do take time,” the supervisor had said.

A three-member team, constituted by the high court, which visited the AIIMS site, expressed satisfaction over the pace of construction work of the premier hospital.

The team, however, was not satisfied with the quality of material being used in the construction work.