The Supreme Court on Monday said that the state’s progress in creating safety systems in medical colleges and hospitals was “tardy” and that even 50 per cent work was not completed on any account.

The state’s counsel then told the bench headed by Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud that all work like installation of CCTVs, creating duty rooms and wash-rooms would be completed by October 15.

Rakesh Dwivedi, the state’s counsel, also said the work at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital could not be taken up because the state needs the CBI’s permission to carry out construction there.

The CBI, which is probing the rape and murder of a 31-year-old postgraduate trainee of the medical college, has been visiting the hospital frequently for the probe.

Junior doctors at the protest site at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital on Monday evening. Gautam Bose

“Why is the progress so tardy?” the Chief Justice asked the state’s counsel.

“No part of the work is above 50 per cent. Duty rooms 49 per cent, wash-room 40 per cent, lighting arrangement 33 per cent, CCTV installation 26 per cent,” the Chief Justice added while going through a status report filed by the Bengal government.

Bengal chief secretary Manoj Pant said on Monday evening that the work takes some time.

“We are not aware of the Supreme Court’s directives as yet. We are working on it and it takes some time,” he said.

One of the demands raised by the junior doctors during their meetings with chief minister Mamata Banerjee and Pant was enhanced safety and security measures in medical colleges and hospitals.

They said that increased security is necessary for them to resume all duties.

The junior doctors had been carrying out emergency and critical care duties from September 21, after a 42-day cease-work during which they were absent from all duties.

During the hearing, the CJI sought to know how many CCTVs had been installed. The state’s counsel said that 6,178 CCTVs were to be installed and 26 per cent of them had been done already.

Dwivedi also raised the issue of CBI permission required to do any work at RG Kar Medical College and Hospital. “The tenders about the duty rooms in RG Kar have matured and we need the CBI’s permission to start the work. It is the CBI who stopped us, otherwise we would have done it,” Dwivedi added.

The CJI then told the solicitor general Tushar Mehta, the counsel for the CBI, that the central agency should give the permissions.

Metro reported on Sunday that state government officials said work was slow at RG Kar Medical College because the state needed permission from the CBI to start work.

The officials had also told this newspaper that installation of infrastructure in government medical colleges and other hospitals for safety and security of healthcare staff and doctors would be completed by the end of October.

At the Supreme Court on Monday, the state’s counsel told the bench that though the state wanted time till October 31, he had told them to finish work by October 15. By that time most of the work would be completed, he said.

“The court has been assured that all work will be completed by 15 October 2024,” the Chief Justice said.

During the previous Supreme Court hearing on September 17, Kapil Sibal, appearing for the Bengal government, had promised that the works will be completed within 7 to 14 days.

“Only some CCTVs have been installed and duty rooms are being created in some medical colleges, while no work has started in most places,” a junior doctor said.

On September 19, a day after a meeting with junior doctors, Pant had issued directives to the health secretary saying all healthcare facilities should have on-duty rooms, washrooms, CCTVs and drinking water facilities

The directives also stipulated measures such as a “panic call button alarm system”, a “centralised referral system” and a “centrally monitored real-time bed availability information system.”

The junior doctors have alleged there had been no progress on these systems.