Leader of Opposition in Delhi Assembly Vijender Gupta on Monday said all health projects under the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government have “failed miserably”. He made the statement during his inspection of an “incomplete” building of a Delhi government hospital in Sarita Vihar.
Accusing the AAP government of corruption, he said, “Delhi’s healthcare services have fallen victim to corruption. All health projects under the AAP government have failed miserably.” He urged Lt Governor VK Saxena to conduct a high-level investigation into the entire construction project.
“The AAP government failed to build even a single new hospital during its 10-year tenure, while siphoning off thousands of crores of rupees under the pretext of constructing new buildings for hospitals. The government, which boasts of providing world-class healthcare services, has deceived the people of Delhi,” he charged.
Referring to the “incomplete” construction of the hospital building, he claimed the construction, which began in September 2021, was expected to be completed within six months by February 2022. However, nearly four years later, the project remains “half-finished”.
He alleged the construction work was halted in July 2023 when the government withdrew support, causing the agency to abandon the project midway. Furthermore, construction costs have skyrocketed from Rs 70 crore to over Rs 140 crore.
The Leader of Opposition asserted that there is no hope of the hospital being completed in the near future since the current budget makes no provision to cover the increased costs.
“If the government attempts to complete the project, the costs will escalate even further. Even if construction is somehow completed, the hospital cannot function because no provisions have been made to recruit essential staff such as doctors, nurses, and ward boys,” he said.