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The costly choice of colour
IT WON'T be wrong to say that the 'looks' mattered most for some of the former ministers of the State, who with their crazy decisions, have landed the government in a big trouble.
IT WON'T be wrong to say that the 'looks' mattered most for some of the former ministers of the State, who with their crazy decisions, have landed the government in a big trouble.
The much talked about 'gulabikaran' drive launched by former Health Minister Rajvir Singh in 2001 has cost the government over Rs 11.53 crore.
The minister had issued directives to paint buildings of district hospitals, CHCs and PHCs in pink colour (gulabi) to make its looks more attractive for the visitors.
The directives were issued without any specific allocation of the budget for the payment to the parties concerned.
The much-hyped drive was launched and completed amidst reports of irregularities in mid-2002.
But till date, the parties involved in the 'gulabikaran' drive have not received their payments.
The matter came to light when a firm 'Kripashankar Upadhyaya & Company' in Allahabad filed a petition in the High Court for payment of Rs 7.25 lakh for painting 10 buildings of allopathic hospitals and clinics in Allahabad.
The court issued contempt orders to the chief medical officer Dr Hari Shankar Gupta.
In response to the court's directives, Dr Gupta requested the principal secretary (Health) and director-general (Health) to release additional budget for the payment to the parties.
The DG further requested the principal secretary to also provide a fund of Rs 11.53.30 crore for the payment to the officers and parties concerned.
A senior officer of the district health department said on the first place the directives issued by the former Health Minister were irrelevant and impractical and the poor patients hardly benefited from the drive.
There were many irregularities in the drive as the contract was given to some favoured parties, who did take care of quality in the work.
"Since then the buildings have been whitewashed and painted twice and there is no hint of gulabikaran left," he said, on the condition on anonymity.
