Karnataka: Chitradurga Medical College suffers setback on demolition grounds

Chitradurga: The authorities in their efforts to uplift the backward Chitradurga district, as the Dr. Nanjundappa Committee report defines it, has for years worked in the direction of establishing a medical college in the district. The announcement of this development made four years ago has met with approval in the latest budget.

However, what stands in the way of the construction of the college is the order of the Public Works Department (PWD) of Tumakuru division to the authorities, to demolish more than 25 well-established buildings on the district hospital premises. This is to be done to accommodate the medical college. The announcement has raised the ire of the hospital authorities, as well as the common man.

The buildings that the PWD has called for demolition include: ‘D’ group employees’ quarters constructed in 1999, blood bank building constructed in 2005, DTC centre set up in 1989, buildings of nurses’ quarters built in 1998, and vehicle parking area constructed in 1980, say sources.

If consent comes its way resistance to building of the college shall not be far behind . Of the 23 acres of district hospital land, 14.1 acres have already been registered in the name of Chitradurga Institute of Medical Sciences (CIMS) to set up the medical college reveal sources.

The remaining area houses a hospital and staff quarters. “The Medical Council of India (MCI) that visited the hospital last year gave a favourable report stating that the hospital has all necessary facilities to establish a medical college. Based on the MCI report, the State government had given its approval,” said sources.

Keeping the antagonism that the decision of demolition might raise among hospital authorities and the common man , District Surgeon, Jagadish has already written to Deputy Commissioner Srirangaiah to adjust the construction of the medical college on a separate land, located near the Horticulture Department reports the Hindu.