Govind Sharma
JAMMU, Feb 20: Although seven years have passed when the announcement regarding installation of Bio Safety Level (BSL)-3 Lab in Government Medical College (GMC) Jammu was made by Jammu and Kashmir Government, yet the administration of the Medical College has failed to make this facility functional while ignoring suffering of the patients.
As per official sources, the BSL-3 lab, one each for Kashmir and Jammu regions were announced by the J&K Government in the year 2015 after the outbreak of Swine Flu in the erstwhile State so that such pandemics could be tackled effectively in the future.
Accordingly, funds for the tune of Rs 6.3 crore were released for the Lab at GMC Jammu and Rs 5.63 crore for the Lab to be established in CD Hospital Srinagar. Sources said while both the labs were announced simultaneously, the Lab in Chest Disease Hospital Srinagar was made functional in the year 2018 on fast track basis but the Lab at GMC Jammu is still in installation stage.
Sources revealed that after four years of announcement of the Lab in GMC Jammu, the administration of the Medical College woke up from slumber in the year 2019 and allotted the task of installation of the Lab to Biosafe India Limited, the company which had installed the Lab in CD Hospital Srinagar. They said the company started the work soon after allotment but first it left the work midway due to non-payment of dues and then due to outbreak of COVID-19 and resultant lockdown.
Disclosing present status of the Lab work, sources said while the Company has installed the Lab completely but it could not be made functional in the absence of a dedicated power supply line, DG Set and RO Plant, which were not included in the DPR made earlier. They said last year a fresh DPR was made with provision of a dedicated Power Transformer, DG Set and RO Plant and after approval of the Government and release of funds to the tune of Rs 1.5 crore, tendering was done.
“While Power Transformer has been installed, the work of installation of RO Plant is underway. However, DG set for the Lab is yet to be installed as despite tendering twice, even a single bid was not received,” sources said while adding that now the authorities are going for the tendering third time.
Sources said that the work of RO Plant will be completed within a month and if any bidder comes forward this time for DG Set, all the requisite work (including final touches to the Lab by Bio Safe India Limited) for making the BSL-3 Lab functional will be completed within 3 months and hopefully by June or July this year, the Lab will be put to use.
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