250-bed hospital-college delayed by red tape in Pune

The National Institute of Naturopathy’s (NIN) plans for a 250-bed naturopathy and yoga hospital seems to be stuck in the labyrinth of Mantralaya since the past three years. The state government has refused to transfer land to the institute for the project.
The institute has been following up the case with the state government for land acquisition since 2008.
NIN director, Dr Babu Joseph, told the media recently that although the ministry of land has given its no objection certificate (NOC) for transfer of land, the revenue department has stalled the project for the past three years.
The 25-acre identified for the project is located on the premises of
Dr Bandorawalla Leprosy Hospital in Kondhwa.
“The Centre in 2008 had asked the NIN to initiate process to build the hospital. We were also asked to set up a full-time degree college of bachelor of naturopathy and yogic sciences (BNYS) in Pune. Around Rs50 crore was earmarked for the project in the central budget also,” Joseph said.
Following the directions, NIN had identified the land. State minister for public health and family welfare, Suresh Shetty, had signed the NOC for the transfer of land.
“However, after the signing of NOC, when it came to the actual transfer of land, we were asked to liaison with the revenue department,” he said.
The revenue department refused to transfer the land to the NIN citing “technical difficulties”.
“The principal secretary told us that in Maharashtra, the state government can’t transfer land to any central government institute for free,”Joseph said.
He added that given the escalation of land prices in the city, the project cost would have escalated.
“Also, the act of land valuation is a complex process and would take a long time to complete,” he said.
The bureaucratic hassle in Maharashtra is in sharp contrast with the willingness of other state governments to transfer land to the NIN for setting up similar hospitals and colleges. Joseph said that there are 14 such colleges in various parts of the country, but Maharashtra does not have a single naturopathy hospital.
Source:DNA News