TEZPUR, March 2 � A multi-crore project of developmental work at the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi Regional Mental Health (LGBRMH) has been allegedly stalled following a dispute among suppliers of materials like sand and gravel and bricks required for the construction work.
It is to be stated that the Lokapriya Gopinath Bardoloi Regional Institute of Mental Health (LGBRIMH) is one of the oldest mental health care institutes in India established in the year 1876. The institute that came into being with the aim of providing psychiatric care services with state-of-the- art academic infrastructure in neuropsychiatry and allied sciences and to provide high quality cost-effective mental health care to the people of north-eastern region of India through exceptional services in an environment of education, teaching and research is located here in Tezpur�s Kalibari in Sonitpur district. The institute is spread over 81 acres of land with a lush green campus. Over the years, this tertiary mental health care institute has been playing a major role in catering to the entire population of the region.
The institute which was earlier popularly known as �pagala fatek� (asylum for the mentally ill people) is now a post-graduate teaching and research centre with an aim to meet the manpower requirements in the field of mental health in the region and has been providing academic courses in Psychiatry, Psychiatric Nursing and Psychiatric Social Work at PG level and Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing (DPN) courses. The institute is going to be upgraded with a multi-crore project of Rs 485 crore.
According to official information available here, two construction companies are engaged in the new building construction of the institute. One is KLV Construction Company and the other is Brahmaputra Construction. The first one has got work order of Rs 185 crore while the later was given work of Rs 300 crore.
As a huge amounts of materials like, brick, sand and broken chips etc., are required, some suppliers have been supplying the required materials to the two companies. However, a section alleged that after the two companies arrived at the work-site, an illegally formed supplier organisation �National Builders� has started to collect tax from each truck, carrying goods like brick, sand and broken chips for the construction work of the institute allegedly in cahoots with the police, the local MLA and the officials of the Forest department creating an untoward situation here which has allegedly hampered the progress of the work of the multi-crore project.
The socially aware people here have expressed annoyance over the act of running of an illegal syndicate at the work site to collect tax from the goods supplying trucks which also resulted in a scuffle between a employment seeking youth and the �illegally� formed body �National Builders�. They said that if the same is not closed immediately, in the long run there are maximum chances of certain unwanted situation occurring at the work site. For the people here the �National Builders� is an illegal organisation formed with some local anti-social people which instead of helping in the work of the companies concerned with institute is allegedly harassing obstructing the progress of the multi-crore project. People here urged the administration to take action against the illegal organisation without any delay.
On the other hand, nature loving organisations working here in the district also alleged that even though the Minor Mineral Corporation (MMCs) and Mahal for sand and gravel should not be run as per the Forest Act and the Supreme Court order, yet some construction companies including KLV and Brahmaputra Construction companies engaged here in the construction work of LGBRIMH have been using materials supplied from certain illegally run quarries thereby fuelling the act of damaging the ecological balance. Therefore, people have urged the administration to intervene in the ongoing matter that has been creating an awkward situation at the work site.