Public rally to mark PM’s visit to Mullanpur
Saturday, 21/12/2013
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Chandigarh : A public rally would be held to mark the visit of Prime Minister Manmohan Singh at Mullanpur on the outskirts of Chandigarh on December 30.
The Prime Minister is coming to lay the foundation stone of the Tata Memorial Centre (TMC) Hospital, a Rs 500-crore second-of-its-type project in India.
With the next Lok Sabha elections round the corner, the state government has decided to cash in on the initiation of work on one of the biggest advanced cancer cure facilities.
To take stock of the ongoing preparations, a high-level team from the Union Department of Atomic Energy (DAE) made a site visit late on Thursday evening.
Sources told Daily Post on Friday that arrangements for a public function with a seating capacity of 10,000 people are being made to mark the foundation stone-laying ceremony.
In a unique and first-of-its-type activity, the state Health and Family Welfare Department would hold a special medical camp to screen the visitors for diabetes and hypertension at the function. It would mark the launch of the pilot project to check both the lifestyle diseases in Punjab.
According to the tentative itinerary of the PM’s visit available so far, Manmohan Singh would reach Mullanpur at 4 pm and spend around an hour to do the honours and address the public function, a top officer disclosed.
A team of top officers from Union DAE and PMO would accompany him.
From the state, besides the leaders of the ruling SAD-BJP combine, senior leaders of the main opposition Congress would also be among the invitees at the much-awaited function.
The Prime Minister is coming on the invite of Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, who is spearheading a sustained campaign to free the food bowl of the country from the clutches of deadly cancer. Principal Secretary, Health and Medical Education Research, Vini Mahajan is playing a crucial role in turning Badal’s dream into reality.
The Union Cabinet had, in October, already given formal approval to the project, which would come up on 50 acres of land, worth almost Rs 100 crore allotted by the state government at Medicity in New Chandigarh.
In his characteristic way of expressing gratitude for fulfilling the state’s demand, Badal had formally invited the Prime Minister to kickstart work on the project.
The Union DAE will spend Rs 400 crore on setting up the 100-bed facility, on the lines of TMC hospital in Mumbai.
Possession of the land has already been handed over to the DAE and the boundary wall has also been constructed at a cost of Rs 50 lakh. Besides, tree plantation in and around the site at an estimated cost of Rs 40 lakh has also been done.
Apprising the Prime Minister of the development, Badal recently told him that since Chandigarh was well connected with the region through road, rail and air, the proposed hospital will attract patients from all over north India.
“There is no doubt that this will become one of the most important institutions in the entire region,” said the Chief Minister, while requesting Manmohan Singh to lay the foundation stone of the project, which, Badal specifically mentioned, has been approved “only due to your (PM’s) support”.
According to the project report prepared by TMC at the behest of the Punjab government, it would be a “world class institution for a noble cause” with a mandate for Service, Education and Research.
The institution will aspire to be a tertiary care centre for cancer, promoting prevention, cure, rehabilitation and palliation for the population of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.
