It is like bolt from the blue. When everybody has forgotten about the proposed shifting of Osmania General Hospital, Telangana state government on Tuesday suddenly initiated steps to shift the hospital to new premises.
The proposal to shift hospital from the heritage structure in Afzalgunj, to Government Modern Maternity Hospital, Petlaburz met with strong opposition. OGH is located on 26.80 acres near Afzalgunj and the old heritage building is housed only on 2.37 acres. The chief minister K Chandrasekhar Rao announced in June that a new building would come up in the place of the heritage structure which is in dilapidated condition. Alleging that the move is inspired by the real estate motives ,Heritage activists opposed the proposition. Some even approached the court. Buckling under the pressure, the TRS government developed cold feet and put the proposal on hold.
Suddenly, today, the Telangana government has issued orders (Go RT 739) for providing necessary infrastructure required for the shifting.Permission has been accorded to meet the civil works requirement of Rs. 442 lakhs from the amount sanctioned of Rs.1400 lakhs towards construction of OPD Block at Government Modern Maternity Hospital, Petlaburz.
Permission has also accorded to procure the equipment works of Rs. 692 lakhs from Rs 7608 lakhs provided in the budge estimate 2015-16 towards procurement of equipment of Osmania General Hospital, by following the due procedure. The department concerned would hire the vehicles for transportation of patients, doctors, drugs, samples, diet from Osmania General Hospital to Government Modern Maternity Hospital, and the District Hospital, King Koti, subject to condition that usage of vehicles is exclusively for specific purpose and required period only, duly following tender procedure.
