Post News Network
Bhubaneswar, Oct 4: With Narayan Hrudayalaya Private Limited (NHPL) failing to start construction work for a proposed 1,000-bed cardiac hospital here despite repeated instructions from the state government, the general administration (GA) department has initiated steps to reclaim the six acres of land allotted to the company.
The government has slapped another notice to NHPL and asked it to submit a reply within October 15 this year, threatening to otherwise cancel the lease deed. NHPL had failed to reply to show-cause notices issued by the government earlier. The state government had allotted 5.937 acres of land (plot No. 1125) near Dumuduma here to NHPL in September 2008 to set up a 1,000-bed cardiac hospital.
“You are called upon to show cause within October 15 as to why the lease shall not be determined under Clause 4(i) of the original lease deed and why the land should not be resumed and possession taken over by the government. If no reply is received from you on or before the stipulated date, it shall be presumed that you have nothing to say in the matter and action will be taken for determination of the lease and for taking over possession of the land,” wrote GA additional secretary RN Dash to the chairman of the hospital, Devi Prasad Setty.
The GA department had executed the lease deed in favour of the hospital in October 2009 and, as per the deed, the institution was to complete construction work within three years (October 2012), sources said.
When the institution failed to start construction work even by April 5, 2012, the GA department had issued it a preliminary show-cause notice. Narayan Hrudayalaya had submitted a reply expressing its difficulties and requested for more time, sources said. The government had then allowed two more years to complete the hospital construction and demanded submission of progress reports from time to time.
Ironically, neither did the company begin construction work nor did it submit any progress report of the project to the government. This prompted the GA department to issue show-cause notices to the company in September 2014 and December 2014, but there was no reply.
Chief minister Naveen Patnaik had laid the foundation stone for the project at its site near Kanungo Institute of Diabetes Specialties Hospital, around 2 km from All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), in September 2012. The hospital envisioned providing super-specialty treatment for neurosurgery, heart and orthopaedic care.