*Land transfer process to take time in 2 distts
Mohinder Verma
JAMMU, Oct 6: The work on five new Medical Colleges announced early last year is unlikely to begin during the current financial year as land acquisition and transfer process would take considerable time in two districts of Jammu province without which the State Government cannot formally approach the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for release of funds.
These five new Medical Colleges were announced by the previous United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Government at the Centre in the month of February last year. Initially, only four Medical Colleges were announced for the districts of Kathua, Doda, Anantnag and Baramulla.
However, following resentment from the elected representatives of the twin border districts of Rajouri and Poonch, the then Union Health Minister, Ghulam Nabi Azad also sanctioned one Medical College for Rajouri to cater to the healthcare requirement of these districts.
“Though more than one and half year has elapsed since the announcement, the work on establishment of these medical colleges is unlikely to begin during the current financial year as no major headway has been made on the land related process in two districts of Jammu province”, official sources told EXCELSIOR, adding “even after completion of land related exercise huge formalities would have to be carried out before actual start of work on the ground”.
“In Doda and Kathua districts, the land acquisition process is going to take considerable time as the same is at infancy stage”, official sources said, adding “in Doda district the earlier identified land was not found appropriate by the Health and Medical Education Department and the new land had to be identified”.
Deputy Commissioner Doda, Bhupinder Kumar said, “160 kanals of land has been identified at Ghatt and land acquisition proceedings have been initiated”, adding “since entire area is private land, the laid down procedure of issuing notifications under different sections is required to be followed so that cumbersome free land is transferred to the Health and Medical Education Department”.
“Since enough time is required to be given to the people for filing objections vis-à-vis land identified for the establishment of Medical College, it is unlikely that land acquisition proceedings would conclude within next three-four months”, sources said, adding “since huge chunk of private land is involved the possibility of some legal hurdles cropping up in completion of acquisition process cannot be ruled out”.
As far as land in Kathua district is concerned, sources said, “earlier 800 kanals of land was identified but now directions have been issued for selecting only 200 kanals of land that too in Nagri area of the district”, adding “the district revenue authorities are in the process of preparing necessary papers and conducting field exercise”.
Stating that entire process would take considerable time, sources said, “if the administration succeeds in managing 200 kanals of State land then no further lengthy process would have to be followed but in case of involvement of private land process of issuing notifications and inviting objections would have to be adopted”.
As far as Medical College in Rajouri district is concerned, required chunk of land has already been identified at village Nagrota, about 10 kilometers from the District Headquarters. “Since entire area falls in the category of Government land, we got the same transferred to the Health and Medical Education Department by carrying out necessary changes in the revenue record”, Deputy Commissioner Rajouri, Shabir Ahmed Bhat said when contacted, adding “now it is up to Health and Medical Education Department to start work on the establishment of Medical College”.
Similarly, in Anantnag district 200 kanals of land has been identified for establishment of Medical College. “The required chunk of land in a village near Pahalgam has been selected for this ambitious project”, Deputy Commissioner Anantnag, Muneer-ul-Islam said when contacted, adding “since the major chunk of identified land belongs to Floriculture Department no lengthy procedure is involved for changing mutation of land in favour of Health and Medical Education Department, the process for which has already been set into motion”.
When contacted, Minister for Health, Ch Lal Singh said, “the ball is in the court of Revenue Department as our department has identified the suitable land in all the five districts and as soon as they transfer land in the name of Health and Medical Education Department we would be able to approach the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry for release of funds”.
“After announcement regarding establishment of new Medical Colleges no exercise was carried out by the previous dispensation and it was only after BJP-PDP Government came to power that process to identify the land was expedited”, the Minister said, adding “hopefully there would not be any delay on the part of Revenue Department in transferring land to us”.
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