Environmentalists and progressive thinkers have opposed the construction of the super-speciality hospital at Gandhada Kothi in the heart of Hassan city. They submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy, who visited the city on Friday, to lay foundation stones for many works including the hospital.
Under the banner of Gandhada Kothi Ulisi Horata Samiti, writer Rupa Hassan, environmentalist Kishor Kumar, social activist Y.S. Veerabhadrappa and others met the CM and appealed to him to shift the proposed hospital to the outskirts of the city. “Gandhada Kothi campus already has three colleges. Hassan Institute of Medical Sciences is also nearby. If one more hospital comes up in the place, traffic movement will be difficult. In order to avoid congestion, the hospital should be shifted out of the city,” the memorandum said.
Ms. Hassan told The Hindu that the committee was not opposed to the hospital. “In fact, we welcome the decision to set up the hospital. Our opposition is only to the place chosen for it,” she said. They submitted copies of the memorandum to former Prime Minister H.D. Deve Gowda and Minister for Public Works H.D. Revanna.
Mr. Deve Gowda, who is also Lok Sabha member of Hassan, assured the committee that he would hold a meeting with all concerned.
The CM laid foundation stones for the construction of the super-speciality hospital coming up at a cost of ₹50 crore and one more hospital of 450-bed capacity on the HIMS campus. He also inaugurated the office complex of Home Department at N.R. Circle that costs ₹6.17 crore.