Himanta inspects construction work of Dhubri Medical College

A Correspondent

DHUBRI, May 9: State Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, in a surprise visit to Dhubri, inspected the construction work of Dhubri Medical College and held meetings with health and PWD (Building) officials on Tuesday. Sarma was flown to Dhubri by helicopter and landed at Dhubri stadium ground and drove straight to the construction site of the medical college adjacent to Dhubri Civil Hospital in Jhagrarpar. He, accompanied by a host of high officials, visited the civil hospital and took stock of the treatment to the patients and management of the hospital.

A source in Dhubri Civil Hospital informed that Sarma gave a patient hearing to the problems of the hospital, especially shortage of doctors and staff, including the post of Hospital Administrator which has been lying vacant for the last two years. “The minister inspected maternity, child, delivery and medicine wards and assured all assistance, particularly in respect of filling up vacant posts and improvement of other infrastructure of the hospital. Later, he held detailed discussion with us,” an official of the hospital management informed.

After inspection of the progress of the medical college work, the minister in the meeting said that it would take another three years to complete it. The work of the medical college was started in February last year and then the target was to complete it in three years but since it would take another three years from now, commissioning of the college would be delayed for one year, an official source in Dhubri PWD (Building) Division informed.

During the minister’s visit, a memorandum was submitted by the All Political Parties Coordination Committee for Development of Dhubri district to him, demanding construction of road-cum-embankment along the Mora Gadadhar river to protect Dhubri town from flood and erosion and to extend the area of the town. Sarma after hearing the demand, said that although the demand was not within his ministry, yet he would take it seriously and do the needful.

A member of All Political Parties Coordination Committee for Development of Dhubri District, Hasan Ali Sheikh (Romel) informed The Sentinel that in June 2011, a Rs 100-crore project for the extension of Dhubri town along the Mora Gadadhar was prepared jointly by the Dhubri-Gouripur Development Authority (DGDA) and the Dhubri Division of Water Resources Department and the same was submitted to the then State Water Resources Minister, Rajib Lochan Pegu in Dhubri for construction of a road-cum-embankment along the Mora Gadadhar.

Prior to this, in 2004, a Rs 9.78-crore plan was drawn up by Dhubri Division Water Resources Department, then known as Dhubri embankment and dam division (E&D), and submitted to Dispur. However, nothing tangible so far came out of it, Shiekh lamented.