CM Oommen Chandy to hold meet on cancer centre
The Justice V R Krishna Iyer Movement which espoused its cause has been opposing the annuity mode
KOCHI: Even as Chief Minister Oommen Chandy is holding a meeting in his chamber on Friday on the proposed cancer centre here, uncertainty lingers as to how he will take it forward despite financial crunch.
In a significant development, the chief minister himself called Ernakulam District Co-operative Bank chief N. P. Paulose Thursday evening and asked him to attend the meet.
The officialdom including the health and finance departments has been ignoring Paulose’s offer to advance Rs 450 crore for it.
“I told the CM that I was not invited by anyone and he then said I should attend the meet,” Paulose told DC.
The two departments have so far been pushing the annuity mode for setting up the centre which could drain the pockets of the poor cancer patients.
The Justice V R Krishna Iyer Movement which espoused its cause has been opposing the annuity mode. Interestingly, Prof M. K. Sanu, who leads the group after the demise of the jurist, was not invited to the meet till Thursday evening, leading to widespread resentment here.
However, Prof Sanu said that far more important was the implementation of the project in a viable mode.
“The powers that be should take measures to implement our demands. That is more important than inviting us to the meet. The centre should help the poor and ordinary cancer patients and also high-end research,” he told DC.