State-Level Expert Appraisal Committee to consider medical projects

KOCHI: Both the Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC) and Ernakulam Government Medical College (EMC) super-specialty block projects are set to come up before the State-Level Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC)  for consideration and clearance at its two-day meeting from Wednesday.  The SEAC is part of the State-level Environment Impact Assessment Authority (SEIAA).  The CCRC project is worth Rs 395 crore while the super-specialty block  is worth Rs 368 crore. At its hearing on December 4,  the SEAC members had suggested changes to the Detailed Project Reports (DPRs) of both projects by the authorities of the CCRC and EMC and INKEL which is the implementing agency.

The INKEL authorities who prepared the DPRs agreed to effect the changes and send them  to the SEAC. This along with the minutes of the meeting of December 4 will have to reach the meeting  on  Wednesday to get the projects cleared by the SEAC. "I am told that both projects are coming up for consideration of the SEAC.  The agenda is usually prepared on the day before and hence not posted on the website of the SEIAA," said Dr K.P. Joy, chairman of SEIAA. He said that the projects will come before the SEIAA for the final environmental clearance. "We usually go by the recommendations of the SEAC," Dr Joy said. Health additional chief secretary Rajeev Sadanandan had said that both projects after clearing the environmental  hurdle will be placed before KIIFB director board in February. Once this is done,  the projects can enter the tendering stage.

"It will be placed before the KIIFB board in February. We have agreed to the suggestions of the SEAC to grow vertically rather than going for two-storey and three- storey buildings. Since the Naval Armament Depot is nearby we will have to restrict the buildings  up to eight storeys. Relocation of sewage treatment plant is another suggestion which we have agreed to. The third one is harnessing rain water and expanding the existing water storage system which too we have incorporated in the DPR," said EMC principal Dr V.K. Sreekala who was present at the presentation on December 4.