The Himachal Pradesh Government has urged the Union Government to hand over ESIC Medical College building, Ner Chowk in district Mandi to the state at the earliest.
Health Minister Kaul Singh Thakur has written a letter to Bandaru Dattatreya, Union Minister of State for labour and Employment demanding early transfer of college building to the state government.
He said the Director General of ESIC had written a letter to the State Government regarding transfer of this medical college.
Thakur said the state Cabinet had also given its nod to take over this medical college on the request of ESIC.
However, the Himachal government was not in a position to pay any interest on the proposed investment of Rs.285 crores by ESIC.
The minister added that in case ESIC were to operate this college in addition to this investment of Rs. 285 crores, it would also have to incur the liability of about Rs. 100 crores annually as operational expenses.
He said this liability would be transferred to the State Government in case the operation of the college was taken over by it.
Thakur said that the lease deed that allows the State Government to resume leased land in case it was not put to use for the purpose which it had been leased.
He said that keeping in view the above facts, the Government of India should agree to hand over this college building on ‘as is where is’ basis at the earliest.