Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan Reddy on Monday urged Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao to earmark three acres of land for the Central government to establish a National Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) in the capital.
In a communication to the Chief Minister, a copy of which was released to the media, Mr. Reddy claimed that the Centre had already allotted funds for setting up of the prestigious institution and that he has been following up the matter with the ministry concerned for the past one year.
The Minister recalled that a Central team had visited the twin cities in 2019 and held discussions with the medical and health officials here on the infrastructure required. However, the Central team did not approve of some of the existing buildings shown to them by the Telangana government representatives for housing the upcoming institution. The Central team wanted a dedicated facility for which they sought a fresh site.
Hence, Mr. Reddy urged Mr. Chandrasekhar Rao to expedite the process of identifying suitable site for NCDC to be set up here before the allotted funds are utilised elsewhere, and there has been no progress on this front last year. If the State government clears the site, the Centre can immediately take up construction, procurement of equipment and recruitment of staff.
The NCDC could be a boon to the medical and health fraternity for the region. Besides, it will also help in enhancing research opportunities for the scientists and doctors in both public and private fields.
Hyderabad already hosts ace scientific research institutions like the Indian Institute of Chemical Technology, Centre for Cellular & Molecular Biology, National Institute of Nutrition, National Geo-Physical Research Institute, etc. The proposed NCDC facility will add to this legion, he added, in his letter.