No headway on liaison officer for Kochi cancer centre

KOCHI: More than ten days after Chief Minister Oommen Chandy convened a high-level meeting to start the work on the Kochi cancer centre, the state government has not taken any step to appoint an IAS liaison officer  despite an assurance given by the CM.

A decision was taken at the meeting to start the outpatient wing of the cancer centre at Ernakulam Government Medical College building in the first week of November.

The demand to appoint an IAS officer, either the District Collector or any other officer in the state cadre, to speed up the  project, has not materialised though its  foundation stone was laid one year ago.

“Unless this officer is appointed, the process of building the cancer centre is unlikely to gather momentum. Operating the outpatient wing of the cancer centre at the medical college building will not suffice. It  has to have its own building and the construction should start early on  the land allotted. For this,  the loan from the Ernakulam District Co-operative Bank has to be speeded up.  A society for the project has to be formed first and the DCB will give the loan only to it.  For all these,  an IAS officer has to take charge and initiate the process,” said Dr N.K. Sanil Kumar, a volunteer of the Justice V.R. Krishna Iyer Movement that is spearheading the agitation to set up the cancer centre.