Gian Sagar medical college finds revival with change of ownership from scam accused to auto dealer

Balwant Garg

Tribune News Service

Faridkot, October 31

Originally owned by Nirmal Singh Bhangu-main accused in Rs 45,000 crore Pearls group chit fund scam, Gian Sagar Medical College and Hospital in Banur which was closed in 2017 due to fiscal mismanagement with the fate of 1,700 students and 1,200 staffers hanging in balance, is once again on the path of revival after a Gurugram-based group in real-estate and automobiles business has taken over its management.

After taking over the college’s Rs 200 crore liabilities, the new management was successful in getting Medical Council of India (MCI) and Punjab government’s approval to admit 150 students for MBBS course from this academic session.

It was not only Gian Sagar Medical College which was shut down in 2017, but similar was the fate of Chintpurni Medical College of Pathankot. While fiscal mismanagement was the reason for the closure Banur-based college, Pathankot college was closed for various deficiencies. 

The closure of both these colleges was not only the loss of 300 MBBS seats to the medical aspirants but it had left the department of medical education and research in difficult situation when it had to shift about 700 MBBS students of Gian Sagar Medical College and 250 students of Chintpurni Medical college to other medical colleges in the state for the completion of their courses.

Besides the shift causing extensive academic loss to the students of both these colleges, these students were deprived of Rs 9,000 per month stipend which is paid to as rotary internship stipend in the last year of their course. 

Even the post graduate courses students in Gian Sagar college were not paid their monthly stipend of Rs 48,720 after they shifted to other colleges.

One of the old staff members and Dean of Gian Sagar, Dr A S Sekhon said the new management has paid the old pending power bills, salaries and has already started work to rebuild the college.

Before this college was closed in 2017 it was imparting medical education to 700 MBBS students and another 1,000 students in the dental, nursing and physiotherapy streams. The medical college is attached to a 600-bed hospital with 10 super-specialty departments, spreading in about 100-acres area.

In 2017, the college was closed, when trust chairperson Nirmal Singh Bhangu, was arrested by Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the Pearl chit-fund scam.