Imphal, May 18: The much hyped paediatric and maternity hospital which was supposed to be constructed at Imphal with funding from the Japanese Govt has been aborted.

A message to this effect was received from the Under Secretary of the Depart of Economic Affairs, New Delhi, Sreyasi Choudhuri yesterday, said a well placed source while speaking to The Sangai Express today.

The Department of Economic Affairs is under the Union Finance Ministry.

The message turning down the proposal to construct the hospital was a terse, �Embassy of Japan has informed that the proposal has not been adopted by the Government of Japan,� further informed the source.

The Japanese Government however did not spell out the reasons for aborting the plan to construct the hospital, said the source but added that must be some reason for the turn around.

Plans to construct the hospital with financial aid from Japan was taken up in 2003.Soon after the State Government put in its proposal for the hospital to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, the same was then referred to the Ministry of Finance on June 18, 2004, said the source.

The proposal was then put forward by the Department of Economics Affairs (Japan Section) which is under the Finance Ministry to the Government of Japan in August 2004.The State Government ran into a number of problems, such as land acquisition and the question of where it would come up.

However the State had decided to let the hospital come up at the premises of the Tombisana High School next to the State Assembly Secretariat.

Though the State Government had not worked out the estimated cost of the hospital, the Japanese agency which was earlier entrusted with the task of the constructing the same had pegged the cost at around Rs 100 crores.

The hospital was to have 100 beds and was to have a Maternity and Children ward.

Apart from this there were also plans to open an Accident and Emergency Clearance Centre at the hospital, added the source.

The agency which was supposed to take up the task of constructing the hospital had recently asked for additional inputs from the Government this year and the same has been submitted to the agency through the Union Planning Commission, added the source.

When asked whether the State Government has any plans to put forward a fresh proposal again, the source said that there is no such plan at the moment.

The source that the matter has already reached the Chief Minister's ears and the sudden development has taken the State Government by surprise.

It was only on May 16 that Health Minister Dr L Nandakumar convened a meeting to discuss the construction of the hospital said the source.

However nothing substantial came out of the meeting as the Chief Minister was out of station, said the source.

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