Newmai News Network Shillong | April 20 Construction work on the highly anticipated government medical college at Tura will begin soon as per assurances made by the Meghalaya Democratic Alliance (MDA) government. “We assure that the construction of the Tura medical college will start very soon,” Health Minister, AL Hek said in his reply during the question hour in the Assembly which concluded here on Friday. Hek informed that the estimated cost for the project is Rs 234.89 crore and the proposal was already sent to the finance department on February 15 this year for necessary sanction. Earlier, Hek informed that the funding for the project is based on 90:10 ratio and the amount sanctioned by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India was Rs 51 crore. Leader of Opposition, Dr. Mukul Sangma sought information on the measures taken by the government to see that the construction work begin at the earliest and questioned the delay to accord sanction for the project even after two months. Supplementing Hek’s reply, Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma said that the amount has actually gone up from an estimate of Rs 189 crore to Rs 234.89 crore. “Therefore, the file has been sent to the finance department and there were elections and yes it has been a month now and we in fact reviewing the matter but I can assure you that it (accord sanction) will not take five years like before,” he said. However, Dr. Sangma said that “too much politics” has delayed this project even as he urged everyone to refrain from playing politics on such an important project. At the same time giving the background on the matter, the former Chief Minister said that the project had taken five years to reach its present stage because of huge encroachment in the Tura civil hospital complex which was identified as the teaching hostel. “Now this encroachment could not be cleared due to sheer politics and this is known to everybody in Garo Hills including the Chief Minister,” he said. Deputy Chief Minister, Prestone Tynsong interrupted and reminded the opposition leader that it is the question hour and said, “We don’t want a lecture.” When Dr. Sangma argued that there is need for the background on the project to be known, Tynsong reacted by asking him not to talk about the background as this breaks the convention of the question hour. Dr. Sangma in turn asked Tynsong not to disturb him when he is framing the question upon which he went on to urge the government to show its seriousness on the matter since over 100 acres of land have been donated by the people for the project. Earlier, NPP legislator from South Tura Agatha Sangma sought to know as to why two foundation stones were laid for the project and the reason for the government not being serious to go beyond the stage of just laying these foundation stones. To this, Hek said the first foundation stone was laid for the old land identified for the project in 2012 and the second was for the new land on January 3, this year. He said that project had to be shifted to the new site because the first one could not meet the norms relating to the distance as laid down by the MCI. Criticizing Hek for not being able to give a proper explanation on the matter, Congress MLA from Rangsakona, Zenith Sangma said the first site for the project should have been 10 km from the referral centre and that is why the department was asked to look for a new land.
