C'garh: Panel to probe funds 'misuse' in hospital construction

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel has set up a four-member team to probe the alleged financial irregularities and misuse of government funds in the construction of a super specialty hospital in the state capital Raipur, an official said on Sunday. Baghel has also directed for an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in two months of the total expenses incurred on the construction of the Dau Kalyan Singh (DKS) Super Specialty Hospital, a public relations officer here said.

The hospital was constructed at the Shastri Chowk in Raipur during the previous BJP government's rule. "Prima facie, it seems that necessary consultation and detailed examination were not done while planning the hospital project that led to the alleged misuse of government funds," the official said.

The probing committee, which was formed on Saturday evening, will submit its report within a month. The panel will be headed by the chief secretary and also include the additional chief secretary (finance), principal secretary to the chief minister and secretary (health) as it members, the official said.

"It will probe whether various stages of planning of the project and its subsequent implementation were duly examined and approved by the finance department," he said. "Since the project was of over Rs 50 crore, hence there would also be a probe whether approval for it was taken from the chief secretary's committee," the official said.

Besides, the committee will also make suggestions and suggest alternatives to overcome the increasing financial crisis at the hospital, he said. The construction of DKS hospital was estimated at Rs 96.9 crore and the target was to start the facility by March 2018, he said.

A loan of Rs 65 crore was taken from a bank for the construction and a scheme was developed to re-pay it through the fees received from patients, the official said. "As per the information, an amount of Rs 110 crore has been paid to the bank so far and a payment of Rs 130 crore is pending, while the bank loan has been converted to NPA (non- performing asset)," he said.

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