CSWO up in arms against KPC Group

Medical college on PPP mode

From A Reporter

SHILLONG, March 25: The Civil Society Women Organization (CSWO) has strongly oppose the handing over of the Shillong Medical College on PPP mode to the KPC Group headed by Kali Pradip Chaudhuri, who is alleged to have racketeering cases in California and against whom a FEMA (Foreign Exchange Magement Act) case has been registered last year by the Enforcement Directorate(ED).

President CSWO  Agnes Kharshiing on Sunday said that the proposal prepared by the IFC (Intertiol Fince Corporation, World Bank Group), on the Shillong Medical College PPP Project, submitted to the Department of Health and Family Welfare, Government of Meghalaya, itself mentions that "it would be essential to pull in well experienced and dedicated private sector healthcare players who would commit to the development of world class medical college while keeping the budgetary constraints". 

"It is reported that Kali Pradip Chaudhuri has been 'engaged in fraud, racketeering and corruption' in his dealings with 909 – area physicians, thereby threatening the health care of thousands," she said.

She went on to add, "This clearly is against the contents of the proposal itself. Handing over the medical college project to this person who is owner of the KPC Group, with whom our State Government signed an MOU, who claims in India to be an NRI and claiming in Bangladesh to be a Bangladeshi, is like putting our health care and our security at risk."

She said in fact an inquiry should be initiated to find out why our Government was eager to continue to deal with him when the local dailies reported about him earlier. 

According to her, the handing over of land to this company is also in violation of the Meghalaya Transfer of Land (Regulation) Act 1971.

The CSWO demands that the agreement with this company be scrapped and the government, if it is serious to fight corruption, should contact the Enforcement Directorate over the FEMA case, as the CSWO has complained about Kali Pradip Chaudhuri to the Enforcement Directorate and has received information from sources that a FEMA case has been registered based on the complaints made by CSWO and other reports.