4 years on, Cancer Wing remains incomplete

A Correspondent

SHILLONG, June 22: Despite reports of a steady increase in the number of cancer cases in the state, the Cancer Wing of the Shillong Civil Hospital is yet to see the light of day.

It needs to be mentioned here that, Chief Minister Mukul Sangma had laid the foundation stone of the Rs 26 crore project, around 4 years back on March 7, 2011.

The project funded by the Department of Atomic Energy was supposed to be completed within a span of 18 months. The Executive Engineer of Health Engineering, Mawsiang Shylla informed that the construction of the building is going on in a slow pace due to the contractor. Shylla also informed that the department has set December 2015, as deadline to complete the building.

According to the Executive Engineer, out of the Rs 26 crore meant for the project, Rs 6.92 is exclusively for construction of the building. During a recent inspection by a group of reporters recently, it has come to light that the construction is yet to be completed. The DAE and Tata Memorial Centre, Mumbai, will facilitate training for doctors, physicists and technicians and set up research facilities for detection of cancer and the factors responsible for the disease. The cancer wing of the Shillong Civil Hospital would be fitted with state-of-the-art equipment like the linear accelerator, computed tomography-simulator 90-140 KV, high dose rate: Iridium-192/cobalt-60 and treatment planning system (TPS).