Haripad Medical College project meets a slow but sure end

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The Haripad Medical College project seems to be meeting its end with the government stepping up the winding process of Kerala Medical Infrastructure Development Company (Inframed) formed to manage the medical college affairs. The winding comes against the vigilance case registered alleging irregularities in the setting up of the medical college as per recent media reports

In an order dated January 31, the government states that Cabinet decision dated December 3, 2015, for increasing Inframed’s share capital from Rs 40 crore to Rs 80 crores, had been repealed. Rajiv Sadanand, Additional Chief Secretary, Health has confirmed the step to be part of the closing down exercise undertaken by the government.

Steps have also been taken by the government to cancel all agreements and other steps taken in the direction of setting up of the Haripad Medical College.The Managing Director according to the order has been asked to take necessary steps to close down the company.The direction comes in the face of the company serving no purpose and the Board putting it on dormant status. The college project had been initiated, at the outset, by the opposition leader, Ramesh Chennithala.

The LDF Government had raised doubts over setting up a Medical college in Haripad, as a public-private partnership venture, soon after it came to power.The death knell struck with Health Minister, KK Shylaja, Public Works Minister, G Sudhakaran, and Finance Minister, T M Thomas Isaac expressing reservations on the viability of the project.

There were also allegations of public money having been used to help private parties run the medical college. It was alleged that the college, otherwise, a government baby was being handed over to a society for 99 years for its running, reports TNIE.

The Vigilance is believed to have also registered a case against the consultancy contract for the college being awarded to a Kochi based company. Further, the relevance of the project not far from Alappuzha Medical College, being questioned by doctors, acted as another cog in the wheel.