Newly built assembly building turning to hospital

Tamilnadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa announced Friday in the State Assembly that the new Secretariat complex, built by the previous DMK regime, would be converted into a Multi Super Speciality hospital on the lines of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.

Making a suo motu statement in the House, she said her government would make necessary changes in Block 'A' measuring about 97,829 sq m area and convert it into a Multi Super Speciality hospital.

She said this complex would soon be put to use for the benefit of public after appointing doctors, nurses, technical experts and installing modern eqiuipments.

'The under construction Block 'B' will be completed soon and the government will start a new medical college', she said amid prolonged thumping of desks by all members of the House, barring the opposition DMK, which had been boycotting the Assembly proceedings.

Jayalalithaa said all sections of the people in the State, especially the poor and the downtrodden, would get quality treatment for various types of diseases free of cost at the multi-speciality hospital.

She said the government had decided not to use the new Legislative Complex, built by the previous DMK regime, as it was not sufficient to house all the 36 departments and was not conducive for discharging day today official work.

It may be recalled that the AIADMK, after coming to power in May this year, had also decided to function from the old Secretariat at the Fort St George.

In line with the announcement made in the Governor's address on 3 June, the government ordered a one man commission of inquiry on 22 June following allegations of excess and wasteful expenditure and deficiency in standards of construction.

The government had appointed retired Madras High Court Judge S Thangaraj to go into the alleged irregularities in the construction of the new Legislative Assembly complex at the government Omandurar Estate in the city. The Commission would go into excess expenditures, inordinate delay and deficiency in standards of construction.

The one man Commission was asked to submit its report to the government in three months.

The Commission was also asked to examine whether there was any lapse or abuse of position on the part of the government officials and public servants. However, the DMK had challenged the appointment of Commission in the Court and the matter was pending before the Madras High Court.