New hospital in troubled waters
Posted on: 19/Feb/2014 2:50:06 PM
The upscale super specialty hospital, originally intended to be a secretariat complex was to be inaugurated in due course. But this has become complicated because a petition has been filed in the Madras high court to restrain the authorities from making any structural modifications or opening the hospital in the building.
A division bench comprising Justices N Paul Vasanthakumar and P Devadas, before which the petition filed by advocate R Veeramani came up for admission on Tuesday, issued notices to the authorities and adjourned the matter to March 6. Senior counsel P Wilson assailed the February 20, 2013 order of the National Green Tribunal’s southern bench which permitted the government to convert the building into a super specialty hospital.
Taking exception to the government stand that no construction or alteration activities were going on at the site, he said details were being deliberately suppressed though a tender notification for more than 28 crore to carry out alterations at the building had been issued in 2012. He said the building’s environmental impact assessment clearance said it could not be used for any other purpose such as hospital. He said the State Level Environmental Impact Assessment Authority had wrongfully exercised its jurisdiction.
Such kind of amendment to change one project to another is not known to law, he said.
The PIL sought to restrain authorities from carrying out modifications on the building or opening the hospital
