Chief Minister Eknath Shinde on Saturday performed the bhoomi pujan for the 900-bed super speciality Thane Civil Hospital, which officials said would be completed within 15 months. Present along with the CM were state health minister Tanaji Sawant, PWD minister Ravindra Chavan, Panchayati Raj minister Kapil Patil and BJP MLA Sanjay Kelkar, among others.
In the wake of the recent heatstroke tragedy in Kharghar at the Maharashtra Bhushan event organised by the state government, the hospital bhoomi pujan was held in a 1,000-seat pavilion cooled by 36 AC systems. ORS powder, water bottles and snacks were arranged on the premises, and the CM gave away umbrella head-gear to traffic police personnel to battle the summer heat.
The tender for the hospital was floated in July 2022 by the Public Works Department (PWD) after the CM reprimanded officials for going slow on ongoing projects in Thane, which is his stronghold. The old civil hospital was demolished on April 12 owing to its dilapidated condition. Currently, its part operations have been shifted to Thane mental hospital where two new buildings have already been constructed for it.
At the bhoomi pujan ceremony, Shinde said that the population of Thane is growing by the day and Thanekars need a better health facility. He said the new facility will reduce the load faced by the Thane Municipal Corporation-run hospital in Kalwa. He added that his government has come up with the concept of 700 health clinics named after Balasaheb Thackeray for free treatment, which “the opposition parties and their followers can also use”.
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