Delhi HC asks L-G to look into sanctioning more staff for Indira Gandhi Hospital

The court was hearing a plea by the Dwarka Court Bar Association, through advocate YP Singh, seeking to start the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, which has been under construction for the past eight years and is nearing completion now

The Delhi high court on Tuesday asked the lieutenant-governor (L-G) Anil Baijal to look into and take a decision at the earliest on the issue of giving approval for additional staff for setting up a dedicated Covid-19 facility at the 1,241-bed Indira Gandhi Hospital so that its functioning is not hampered.

Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the Delhi government, said of the 3,059 posts at the new hospital, the L-G has granted approval for 1,204 posts of staff and a fresh proposal has been submitted to the L-G seeking approval for 1,855 more posts. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

“We hope and expect that the L-G will look into the same to take a decision at the earliest considering the requirement of the hospital and so that its functioning is not hampered,” a bench of justices Vipin Sanghi and Jasmeet Singh said.

It also said the government must endeavour to make the super speciality facilities functional at the hospital by March next year, instead of July.

The court was hearing a plea by the Dwarka Court Bar Association, through advocate YP Singh, seeking to start the Indira Gandhi Hospital in Dwarka, which has been under construction for the past eight years and is nearing completion now.

Senior advocate Rahul Mehra, representing the Delhi government, said of the 3,059 posts at the new hospital, the L-G has granted approval for 1,204 posts of staff and a fresh proposal has been submitted to the L-G seeking approval for 1,855 more posts.

He also said 1,241 beds have been made functional in wards and the civil electrical work has also been completed. The task of installation of oxygen pipelines for those beds, which were to be completed by October, has been done.

The high court had earlier directed the principal secretary (Home) of the Delhi government to monitor on a weekly basis the progress made in the construction of the 1,241-bed Indira Gandhi Hospital, which will be a Covid-19 dedicated hospital, and take appropriate disciplinary action against those found guilty of lapses or negligence.

The matter will be next heard on February 1, 2022.