Cuttack, Oct. 9: Orissa High Court has censured the state government from spending funds provided by Indian Oil Corporation (IOC) to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel Postgraduate Institute of Paediatrics in Cuttack for purposes other than health care.
The court imposed the restriction after finding that the government was planning to use Rs 1.26 crore of the Rs 10 crore provided by the IOC to the institute, popularly known as Sishu Bhavan, for other purposes.
The government was planning to use it on landscaping, children's park, parking area, beautification, electrical installation and digital display system at the state-run facility.
The high court had on February 27, 2012, directed the IOC "to provide Rs 10 crores to Sishu Bhavan to be used for its developmental works", including drinking water facility, sanitation and modernisation of wards, the out patient department and the intensive care unit for providing treatment to emergency patients.
The IOC had, by February 16, provided the funds to Sishu Bhavan. The court had allowed the IOC to draw water from Mahanadi for its Paradip refinery-cum-petrochemicals project only after it agreed to submit the funds to the hospital.
The court was hearing a petition filed by Nationalist Lawyers' Forum (NLF) alleging apathy and delay in compliance of the conditions.
The government and the IOC were asked by the court on April 16 to file compliance status and expenditure details. The IOC had submitted its status report on September 30, while the state government did it on Wednesday.
"The court will hear the matter on November 4. It has directed the government to submit the status report related to the utilisation of the IOC's Rs 10 crore for removal of the old anicut near the Mahanadi barrage by November 4," said NFL president Ghasiram Verma.<>The court also asked the government to file the status report regarding the utilisation of Rs 3 crore that was provided to the police commissioner for the improvement and management of traffic and traffic signal lights at various junctions in Cuttack.
