With a view to implement the 27 per cent quota for OBC candidates, the PGI has its task cut out to incur an additional expenditure of Rs 350 crore for not only upgrading the infrastructure, but also to hire additional faculty, nursing and paramedical staff.

Though a General Body meeting held a few days ago had given its approval for the implementation of the quota, authorities say that going by the amount of work that needs to be done in the form of construction of hostel blocks and buildings, the full OBC quota can be implemented only by 2011.

In its assessment of needs sent to the Centre, the PGI has stated that an additional 210 seats of junior residents (JR) pursuing their MD and MS would be created in the next two years, which would eventually take the total number of seats of JRs to 600. The institute at present has 390 JRs while 25 were given admission under the quota in this session.

The Centre had sanctioned 590 posts as against the 700 posts demanded by the PGI. This includes 47 posts for faculty, 100 posts for senior residents, around 300 posts for nursing and the remaining number for technicians and other staff.

While the institute is short of 60 hostel rooms for resident doctors at present, the additional creation of seats would mean 250 extra rooms.

A K Gupta, Deputy Director Administration, PGI told Newsline: “While Rs 350 crore has been sanctioned by the Centre, we are yet to receive the money. The construction of the hostels would take between six months and one year and its completion would take another two years. By all probability, we will be able to finish the infrastructure for the 210 additional seats by 2011only.”