SGPC and Akalis to blame for delay in building medical school: Punjab CM : The Tribune India

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Tribune press service

Sangrur, 1 Jan.

CM Bhagwant Mann on Sunday accused the SGPC, SAD and former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa of delaying the start of construction of the Government Medical College (GMC) in Mastuana Sahib.

He also hinted at moving the GMC to another location after securing the required 25 acres of land.

“I have to talk about it. I have tried my best to resolve the issues. However, Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, the SAD leadership and the SGPC came together to prevent us from building the GMC. The SGPC provided a stay of construction. If that hadn’t been the case, we would have completed 70% of the construction,” Mann said at the GMC site near Mastuana Sahib College on Changal Road.

CM Mann also proposed that SGPC, SAD and Dhindsa could have their names inscribed on the cornerstone if they felt unsafe.

“Residents shouldn’t worry about the fate of GMC as I will get it built. GMC would be built around Sangrur as I will get land from any Panchayat village. Like other rulers, I don’t want to grab the land. But the delay in starting the construction of GMC has laid bare the reality of the leaders of SGPC, Dhindsa and SAD,” the CM alleged.

He said that in total, GMC is an Rs-460 crore project and it would be built on 25 acres and it would start with 330 MBBS seats in the first year, and the number would increase to 130 later.

On May 23, 2022, the registration of the land was made under the name of the Director of Medical Education and Research and the government had also appointed Dr. Vishal Chopra as Director-Principal of the proposed GMC on July 1, 2022 .

“I never interfered and in fact I also want GMC construction to start. But it should be built according to the law and not in violation of any law,” Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa said.

Mann had laid the foundation stone for the college on August 5, but after a controversy over land ownership, not a brick was laid after the cornerstone. The land on which the government wants to build the GMC would be registered as Gurdwara Sachkhand Angitha Sahib and falls under the Sant Attar Singh Gursagar Mastuana Trust.

“The SGPC has full authority and the Punjab government should start communicating directly with the SGPC to remove any legal impediments. Only the SGPC can give permission to use the land, not any other committee,” said Gobind Singh Longowal, former chairman of the SGPC.

Two protests are taking place outside the DC office, where residents are demanding action against the officers who secured the land transfer and another protest is taking place in Longowal, where residents are demanding the construction of GMC at a rapid pace. Two cases are also pending in the High Court concerning land ownership.

SGPC obtained a reprieve against the construction

Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa, SAD leaders and SGPC have come together to stop us from building the GMC. The SGPC obtained a stay of construction. If that hadn’t been the case, we would have already completed 70% of the construction. —Bhagwant Mann, CM

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