Patna High Court on Wednesday asked the state government to provide residential accommodation to the director of Jai Prakash All India Institute of Medical Sciences (JPAIIMS), Patna, by April 11, failing which it would take stern action against the chief secretary.
The court was hearing a PIL filed by council for protection of public rights and welfare secretary and advocate M.P. Gupta seeking expeditious completion of the project as the construction work was not completed within a stipulated time. “The chief secretary should be ready to go to jail if he fails to provide accommodation to the director of AIIMS, Patna, by April 11,” said Gupta, quoting the bench’s observation.
The delay in providing accommodation irked the division bench comprising Justice P.C. Verma and Justice A.K. Trivedi, which made an oral observation that the bureaucracy does not work in the interest of people, rather it creates hurdles.
Gupta said providing accommodation to the director would ensure faster and better work. Agreeing with the contention of the petitioner, the bench observed: “It seems that the work (hospital) will not be completed even in 10 years’ time keeping in mind the slow pace of construction.”
The court asked the central government to file the progress report, verification report on the quality of materials being used in the construction by the next date of hearing on April 11.
It directed the state government to construct the approach road leading to the super-specialty hospital besides removing all encroachments in and around the hospital cleared, Gupta said. The court had constituted a three-member committee comprising Gupta, state government’s counsel Shashi Bhushan Kumar and Centre’s counsel Vinay Kumar Pandey to inspect the progress work of the hospital. The committee, which would keep tabs on whether or not quality work is being carried out, gives its report every month to health secretaries of the Union and state governments apart from submitting the same to the high court.
Gupta, who along with the other members, visited recently the construction site, submitted that the work was slow and it was difficult to open the hospital by October.
Maithili Academy
A high court bench of Justice K.K. Mandal on Wednesday asked the state government to pay employees and officers of Maithili Academy, Patna, within two months’ time by allotting funds for the purpose.
Reply sought
A bench of Justice Sheema Ali Khan on Wednesday sought response from the state government on a petition challenging the state government’s decision depriving panchayat samiti and district board from implementing MNREGA scheme at their level.