LAHORE - If release of grant, renovation, incompetent staff and grouping among the employees are tangible reasons for the closure of any institution, then all the public sector institutions, whether being run by the federal or provincial government, should be closed. As per sources, the Evacuee Trust Property Board is not willing to run the hospital, which has been serving humanity since pre-partition. As such there is no crunch except protecting a few for vested interests, and ultimately a faade of lies has been woven to dispose this health institution of, observed an ETPB source, seeking anonymity. Recently, the ETPB ordered shutting down of the decades-old Janeki Devi Maternity Hospital, and its Secretary Amir Khan Wazeer reasoned that release of grant, incompetent staff and dissensions among employees were the main reasons. However, he did not accept the ETPBs failure for running the hospital. Nevertheless, the assertion of the ETPB is contradicted by sources, who say Rs 40 million had been approved by the federal government for the poor, who are getting educational and health facilities from the institutions being run under the financial and administrative control of the ETPB. During the last financial year, the ETPB spent Rs 34 million, while this year, the centre has made an increase of 18 per cent in the amount, confided a source at the ETPB. As per hospital sources, the institution runs its financial matters through earnings from various heads like tests and admissions. Rs 10 million is with a bank, and the only problem is over-staffing of lower staff recruited on favour-basis, mentioned the source. Secondly, it is leant Chairman ETPB Asif Hashmi - not available for comments - had distributed the amount of grant-in-aid to individuals for political gains which is against the Evacuee Trust Law enacted for the management of evacuee trust properties and maintenance of gurdwaras and temples of religious minorities. If the ETPB is falling short of finances, then its chairman should not have been wantonly distributing cheques hither and thither. This is all being done by the ETPB head, and considering its stupendous earnings from various sources, and grant from the federal government, there is not dearth of money, confirmed the source, also negating the chairmans assertion that renovation was the reason for hospitals closure since it had been regularly done. If renovation is the reason, then it is nothing at all and till this time, it has not been started yet, added the source. As for as incompetence of the staff is concerned, 10 to 20 years experienced and qualified staff was working and there were no complaints as such. If incompetent staff is there, the responsibility lies with the ETPB, which has been making recruitments against the merit and policy of the federal government, and further protected them. However, the hospital and the working staff was made scapegoat for the wrongdoings of the ETPB, observed the source. Thirdly, it is illogical to assert that grouping and tussle among doctors and paramedical staff led to the closure of hospital. Grouping exists in all institutions, but it does not mean that these public welfare centres should be shut down to hide bad governance. Now the question is: Who is patronising this grouping? quizzed the source. To cover up these kinds of illegalities, the ETPB management had devised a plan to pressurise the federal government creating hardship for the poor patients and unrest amongst the hospital employees so that the poor people may raise hue and cry against the federal government and the real issue of corruption in the ETPB may be sidelined.