‘Are new govt medical college buildings following norms?’

‘Are new govt medical college buildings following norms?’

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:08.12.2020

Wondering whether guidelines of the National Medical Commission (NMC) are being followed while constructing medical colleges in Tamil Nadu, the Madras high court has directed the state health secretary to file a detailed report on the compliance of building norms.

A division bench of Justice M Sathyanarayanan and Justice R Hemalatha passed the interim order on a public interest writ petition moved by N Rajasekaran of Tiruvarur for a direction to the state to constitute a committee to supervise and find out whether such norms are followed while constructing new government medical colleges.

Admitting the plea, the bench directed the health secretary to file his response by February 11, 2021.

According to the petitioner, the NMC has prescribed norms for construction of buildings for medical college, hospital and even auditorium in such institutions which have been published in the gazette of India as early as April 1999.

The rules provide for the requirement of built-up area in consonance with the sanctioned strength of students in the medical college. It clearly states the extent in which the administrative block, residential quarters and hostel have to be constructed for establishing a new medical college hospital, the petitioner said.

While so, the state government is constructing new medical colleges in the state in violation of such rules and to the whims and fancies of the PWD contractors wasting several hundred crores of public money, he added.

Claiming that his representation made to the authorities concerned in connection with the issue has not has not been responded to, the petitioner wanted the court to interfere and restrain the state from violating the building rules.

The state government is constructing new medical colleges as per the whims and fancies of PWD contractors wasting public money, the petitioner said