New Delhi: The Public Accounts Committee of Parliament has noted with alarm that the approval for establishment of the six new All India Institute of Medical Sciences at Bhopal, Bhubaneswar, Jodhpur, Patna, Raipur and Rishikesh was granted by the government in March 2006. They were to be completed by March, 2009 but none of the works, except those relating to residential complexes, had commenced within the period. It was shocked to note that the Health and Family Welfare Ministry had miserably failed to ensure the completion of projects within 18 months from its commencement.
The Committee was upset to note that state Project Monitoring Committees, which is formed to monitor the progress of the new AIIMS, had not been constituted for the two new AIIMS at Raipur and Rishikesh. Even the stipulated meetings were not held in the rest of the four AIIMS.
It noted with displeasure that 1,381 items of equipment with an estimated cost of Rs 454 crore out of the total procurement orders for 5,834 equipment amounting to a total of Rs 791 crore remain undelivered as on March 31, 2017 with delays up to 25 months. It also noted that the delays were due to non-readiness of site, non-acceptance of equipment by the institutes, reluctance on the part of vendors to make supplies due to delay in issue of delivery receipts certificate and submission of invoices .
The vendors were requested to deliver the equipment at a later date so as to synchronise with site readiness and manpower availability in the six new AIIMS.