Ernakulam District Co-opartive Bank loan still an option

KOCHI: The State Government has not closed the option of going in for a loan from the Ernakulam District Co-opartive Bank to set up the cancer centre in Kochi.

In reply to a submission by Hibi Eden in the Assembly on Monday, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said the government will hold talks with the authorities of the bank which has offered Rs 450 crore in loan for the project.

The Health Minister also said that a meeting will be convened ensuring the presence of the Chief Minister to discuss the issues related to building the cancer centre.

He also said that a meeting chaired by the Chief Minister had decided to implement the project in the annuity mode.

“When the Finance Department was approached for the annuity mode, they asked to do a comparative study with the detailed project reports of the Thriuvananthapuram RCC and Malabar Cancer Centre. In the light of such a direction, a decision has been taken to convene a meeting of officials including the Finance Secretary in the presence of the Chief Minister to discuss the issue,” the Minister said in the Assembly.

Hibi Eden in his submission demanded that a special meeting should be convened ensuring the presence of the Chief Minister to sort out the issues related to the project, which was billed as the pet project of the CM.

He also said that the work on the cancer centre was set to be started as per the detailed project report prepared by the Central-Government owned Hospital Service Consultancy Corporation (HSCC).

However, the objection on securing loan for the project by the Finance Department remains the biggest obstacle now, he pointed out.

The Health Minister had earlier told CPI MLA V S Sunil Kumar also in the Assembly that the state government will consider the offer of loan by the Ernakulam DCB for the cancer centre project.