Former Chief Minister Hemananda Biswal has written a letter to Congress MP Rahul Gandhi drawing his attention to what he alleged a conspiracy of the Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd MCL), a Government of India undertaking under the Ministry of Coal, to gift the recently-constructed (with spending of Rs 492 crore) medical college at Talcher to private bodies.

Biswal stated that during the UPA Government, the then Coal Minister had decided to set up the medical college in the coal belt of Talcher being fully funded by the MCL and it was because of the then UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi’s commitment to the people of Odisha.

He mentioned that due to the delay for various reasons, the construction work started later in 2015 which was supposed to be completed by 2017, but the construction was completed in 2019.

As the Government of Odisha expressed its inability to take over the management of the medical college, the MCL conspired to hand it over it to private bodies, but the attempt failed twice, Biswal has alleged.

Now again, the MCL has invited private players to run the college, which is yet to function. It is highly objectionable because the entire amount of Rs 492 crore spent for the institution is public money, it being the MCL’s CSR fund.

Biswal questioned how can the Modi Government gift Rs 492 crore public money to private organisations?

He suggested that the Government of India run the college through the AIIMS directly under the Ministry of Health.

Biswal requested Gandhi to take up the issue in the larger interest of the people of Odisha.