Niira Radia, of tapes fame, building hospitals

Niira Radia, once known as an influential corporate lobbyist and subject of CBI inquity, has entered the health sector. Making a comeback, the PR veteran has ventured into healthcare business through her Nayati Healthcare, whose first hospital was inaugurated in New Delhi on Sunday by Ratan Tata, chairman Emeritus of the Tata Group. Nayati Healthcare plans to open a hospital in Amritsar next, while its Mathura facility would be a hub for cancer treatment in the region. After inaugurating the 351-bed multi-super specialty hospital, Tata said: “It is heartening to see a full-fledged specialty hospital being established in Mathura with considerable personal sacrifice, driven by passion and a genuine desire to serve the community.” Radia said the hospital was poised to serve not only the population of Western Uttar Pradesh but would be the centre of excellence for the whole of North India. Radia had landed in controversy a few years ago following the leak of her alleged taped conversations with prominent politicians, businessmen and media persons. Her conversations with Ratan Tata have not been made public because he had moved the court against publicising them. The CBI had announced that they had 5,851 recordings of phone conversations by Radia, some of which outline her attempts at brokering deals in relation to the 2G spectrum sale. The tapes had demonstrated how Radia attempted to use some media persons to influence the decision to appoint A. Raja as the then Telecom Minister.