Cochin Cancer Research Centre: Seven years of apathy

KOCHI: The Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC), for which a foundation stone was laid in 2014, still remains in limbo. Activists under Justice Krishna Iyer Movement complain that CCRC, for which a foundation stone was laid seven years ago, is far from becoming a reality. The movement had then suggested giving the contract to the team that constructed the National Cancer Institute in Haryana.

The said agency, Hospital Service Consultancy Corporation, a Union government initiative, was not invited to supervise here. They prepared a working model and explained it in a nutshell. However, when the government changed, this team was replaced by Inkel. Dr N K Sanil Kumar alleged Inkel was not experienced in constructing hospitals.

“The selected agency, P & C Construction, has not even constructed a 100-bed hospital. How can they be given responsibility for the construction of a specialist cancer hospital? The radiation machines should be placed in a very sophisticated atmosphere. When we monitored the construction activities there, we found that huge corruption was happening,” said Dr Sanil.

The activists, a group of retired, qualified officials, lodged a complaint with the assembly committee. The committee visited the area in August 2019 and submitted a report. Within a week of their visit, a portion of the car porch under construction collapsed. 

Following this, the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund removed the company from its responsibilities.
When a tender was floated again, a Rajasthan-based company was selected. But the former company filed a case with the Kerala High Court. However, the bench dismissed their petition on the basis of construction quality. The movement alleges the presence of vested interests in ensuring the construction is stalled.