Bhubaneswar, April 9 -- Questions are being raised over the prolonged delay in operationalising the hospital wing of Shri Jagannath Medical College in Odisha's Puri, despite the completion of its 650-bed facility more than a year ago.

The state-of-the-art hospital, located along the Puri-Konark marine drive, has remained non-functional for the past 14 months due to unresolved land disputes and lack of basic utilities such as electricity and drinking water.

Spread across 12 acres, the eight-storey hospital building is equipped with modern infrastructure, and around 120 professors and senior doctors have already been appointed. However, patient services have not begun, leaving the facility idle.

As a result, residents of Puri continue to...