There are hundreds of medical staff who are still yet to receive Covid-19 duty salaries, Right to Information (RTI) activist Disparsing Rani said today.
The numbers comprise 26 doctors, 100 nurses, 85 paramedicals and 153 Grade 4 staff.
Also on the subject of health, Rani said that an MRI machine installed at Shillong Civil Hospital in 2013 has been out of action since September last year. The device cost Rs 4.90 crore when it was purchased.
On road projects in the state, Rani informed that contract work for phase one for the Shillong-Dawki road has been given to the MSBCC Pvt Ltd with a target of two years to complete the project from Umshyrpi to Umdiengpun.
He also said that the detailed project report of the Shillong eastern bypass, with a total length 138km, is in progress, including the road from Mawthir to Kyrsai. He urged pressure groups, dorbar shnongs, etc to give their full cooperation and not to hinder the companies involved in the road construction.
Meanwhile, the activist also said that an RTI request from the Social Welfare Department last month revealed that there are 3,184 male drug addicts in Shillong and 32 females with the department spending more than Rs 9.28 crore on medication for addicts since 2010. Rani, however, does not have a breakdown on the expenditure but will file a separate RTI to obtain the information, he added.