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Project cost of urology institute goes up

By A Reporter 2014-11-27
RAWALPINDI: The project management of Rawalpindi institute of urology has sent a revised PC to Punjab government seeking more funds.

The delay in the construction of the institute has increased its cost which was previously Rs1.276 billion.

The work on the institute started in 2012 and it was due to complete by January 2014 but the work remained sluggish due to slow funding from the Punjab government.

`The government issued Rs100 million this year which was not enough to accelerate the work on the project. The government did not include funds for the equipment in the whole project and we will seek more funds for the construction and equipment procurement,` said a senior official of the Punjab Health Department.

He said the government provided funds for metro and it refused to give more funds during this fiscal year.

However, he said the department requested the government to release more funds otherwise the project cost would further go up.

Meanwhile, former MNA Hanif Abbasi on Wednesdaychaired the meeting to review work on the project.

The meeting was attended by DCO Sajid Zafar Dall, Rawalpindi Medical College Principal Prof. Dr.

Mohammad Umar, EDO Helath Dr. Zafar Iqbal Gondal and other officials concerned.

The officials informed the meeting that construction on 265-bed hospitals was started on August, 2012 and Rs310 million had been spent up to June 2014.

Similarly, Rs100 million allocated for fiscal year 2014-15 out of which Rs40 million had so far been spent on construction work of main building of the hospital.

They said main block, including emergency block had structure.

Hanif Abbasi said the Punjab Chief Minister had directed to accelerate the pace of work on the project.

He said meetings of teh steering committee would be held on regular basis so that the decisions could be made accordingly with the consensus of committee members.

He asked health officials concerned to submit the demand required funds for electro medical equipments and also directed for depositing demand note for electricity and other utilities.