Latest news with #Medicity
Indian Express
4 days ago
- Health
- Indian Express
Ahmedabad: Construction of 1,800-bed hospital hits wall of ‘faith'
On May 27 this year, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, during his two-day trip to Gujarat, laid the foundation stone of an 1,800-bed hospital inside the Medicity campus in Ahmedabad, to be constructed at a cost of Rs 588 crore. Almost two months later, the project has hit a hurdle even before even the plans could be finalised. Standing in the way of the expansion and modernisation of the largest public sector healthcare campus on India's western seaboard, is a temple, whose priest has claimed that the 'goddess has refused to give up the space'. The priest at the temple of Khodiyar Mata, a local deity, claims that it has been there since pre-Independence and has become an 'intersection of science and faith and a major landmark for those lost in the sprawling campus'. A constant stream of devotees, including relatives of patients admitted to Ahmedabad Civil Hospital and those from the neighbourhood, flock to the temple that has recently repainted saffron from the outside, with its sanctum containing multiple idols of Khodiyar Mata, dotted with blue tiles which have not been changed for several years now — also 'as per the wishes of the mother,' priest Sandeep Thakurbhai Dave tells The Indian Express. The temple, located at the centre of the Medicity campus has also become a geolocation as people are given directions with the temple as a point of reference. The civil hospital in the Asarwa area of Ahmedabad recently saw a huge influx of visitors from all over the world, when it turned into a nodal centre for families of victims after a London-bound AI 171 crashed minutes after taking off from Ahmedabad, into the BJ Medical College hostel next to the temple. The hospital took charge of the DNA investigations of the severely charred bodies of the 241 aboard and 19 on-ground who died, handing them out to their relatives. The deceased included some of the hospital's own students and staffers. Now, the old post-mortem building, which connects through a skyway to the main hospital building, the area between the old trauma centre till the Superintendent's office (admin block) is to be demolished to free some 1.60 lakh square metres of space for the 1,800-bed hospital with an OPD section and a 150-bed ICU to eliminate waiting for beds. There will be a 50-bed isolation ward and several modular operation theatres and a two-storied parking block, which will accommodate 650 cars and 1,000 two-wheelers. The civil hospital is spread over a 108 acre space that includes several super speciality facilities. The Khodiyar Mata temple, located right opposite to the old post-mortem building, is also among those marked for demolition. The plan was to relocate the temple in an alternate space inside the hospital campus, if the authorities agreed. The construction of this new hospital building will not only take the total bed capacity of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital to 4,200 beds, but will also double its ICU capacity from the current 150 to 300 beds. Most importantly, the OPD blocks will be moved to the prospective 10-storey building. On July 13, a video of Dr Rakesh Joshi, Medical Superintendent of Ahmedabad Civil Hospital, went viral where he was seen praying and performing rituals at this temple. Dr Joshi had later clarified in a video that he had gone to discuss with temple officials possible ways to proceed with the development 'in a way that faith is not compromised'. 'I went and explained the project to them. I suggested that we must co-operate to make sure that this hospital is built so that several poor patients receive the benefit of treatment', he said in the video. Dr Joshi later told The Indian Express, 'I tried to reach out to the temple to find a consensual path forward. However, they have refused to relocate the temple. A decision will now be taken by higher officials.' Notably, the buildings marked for demolition are already being evacuated and stopgap measures are being taken in other parts of the hospital campus. Most importantly, the labs and central stores have already been relocated and the rest of the buildings will be cleared soon, said Dr Joshi. Temple priest Dave told this paper: 'Hospital officials told us that if they don't move the temple, then they will lose space for 300 beds, but this temple was here even before the hospital was built.' Claiming that the deity had 'not allowed' a previous construction project decades earlier because the temple had been removed in the 1950's, Dave said, 'Mataji had destroyed the incomplete construction seven times. The mother then told my ancestor, who was then the pujari here, that he would find her idol buried where her small temple once stood. And true enough, the top half of this idol was found there,' he says, pointing to a smaller idol next to the main one of the deity that is kept on a wooden stool. 'It was only after the temple was restored that this hospital was built,' he adds. When asked about the current predicament, the priest said, 'The hospital administration approached us about the construction of the new hospital a couple of months ago and we have had several conversations about it. But when we asked Mataji if she permitted the relocation of the temple, she refused not once but multiple times.' Dave claimed that the hospital superintendent's visit on Sunday was part of his 'seeking clearance' from the Goddess for the project. 'He (Dr Joshi) came at 9 am and we first asked him to pray for what he wished to seek from Mataji and told him that we would look for her answer. If she agrees even twice, that means she has given permission,' the priest claimed, adding that they performed a temple ritual to seek the Goddess's 'consent' — but it was 'negative'. Dave said they had not received any communication from the hospital administration after Sunday's ritual.
Hindustan Times
13-06-2025
- Politics
- Hindustan Times
Develop Mathura, Kanpur as model cities: Adityanath
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said infrastructure facilities should be developed in Mathura-Vrindavan, preserving the cultural and religious integrity of the area while generating employment opportunities. He was reviewing the 'Vision 2030' plans prepared for the development of Mathura-Vrindavan and Kanpur in a meeting with officers of state government departments. Mathura and Kanpur administration officers joined the meeting through video conference. The chief minister emphasised that Mathura's cultural significance and Kanpur's industrial prominence should be integrated to develop both as model cities with active participation of public representatives, entrepreneurs, youths and citizens. 'The comprehensive development of Mathura and Kanpur would be a step toward realising the 'Viksit Bharat 2047' vision,' he said. In the last 50 years, the Mathura-Vrindavan region has suffered due to the unplanned development and deterioration of the heritage, the chief minister observed. Officers informed the CM 195 projects worth ₹30,080 crore have been proposed for the development of Mathura-Vrindavan. The chief minister directed that access roads, drinking water, sanitation, and rest areas at religious sites be developed without compromising their sanctity. He called the planned digital museum, convention centre and the Green Path in Vrindavan a long-term investment. The chief minister instructed the officers that a statue of Swami Haridas should be installed at the under-construction Swami Haridas auditorium. Additionally, he directed that a Krishna Lok Park should be developed within the Jawahar Bagh premises on the public-private partnership (PPP) model, along with the comprehensive development of the facade on the Vrindavan Parikrama Marg. The remaining land in Jawahar Bagh should be developed into a city forest, he said. The chief minister also directed that approach roads and campus development work leading to the temples of Radharani's Ashtasakhis should be completed on priority. Reviewing the eco-restoration of 36 forests in Braj region, the CM called for planting and conservation of the Krishna-era flora. The clean and uninterrupted flow of the Yamuna must become a people's movement, requiring collective resolve, he said. Officials presented 61 projects worth over ₹37,000 crore for development of Kanpur under Vision 2030. The CM was briefed on plans like New Kanpur City, Knowledge City, Medicity, Atal Nagar (land pooling model), EV Park, Aerocity, and Mega MSME Cluster—all aimed at boosting Kanpur's socio-economic development. New Kanpur City will be developed over 153 hectares at a cost of ₹1,169 crore and will include 2,000 residential plots and various commercial zones for a population of 35,000. Among the 29 infrastructure projects proposed are outer ring road, Trans-Ganga Bridge, RRTS, metro expansion, integrated bus terminal, road junction improvements, and deployment of electric buses. Under ITMS, an intelligent signalling system and CCTV network will be installed at 102 major intersections to modernise traffic control. The CM ordered the relocation of the central city bus stand to the outskirts and creation of multiple bus stations if needed, along with new city bus stands, a convention centre and an urban haat. The CM directed that all city parks be developed as theme-based parks in collaboration with NGOs or voluntary organisations. He emphasised the need to bring all district and divisional-level government offices under one roof in Mathura and Kanpur.
