Work is on in full swing to construct 11 medical colleges across the State. The Public Works Department is planning to complete some of the projects by this year-end.
The new colleges are coming up in Virudhunagar, Ramanathapuram, Namakkal, Dindigul, Tiruppur, Udhagamandalam, Krishnagiri, Tiruvallur, Ariyalur, Kallakurichi and Nagapattinam. Each of these institutions is being built at a cost between ₹327 crore and ₹447 crore.
Officials of the PWD said there were plans to complete some of the medical colleges with hospitals, including at Ramanathapuram, Namakkal, Tiruvallur, Virudhunagar and Nagapattinam, by the year-end.
Nearly 60% to 65% of the works had already been completed, they claimed.
Most of these projects were started between April and June last year. They were progressing at a fast pace this year as labourers engaged in the work remained in the respective districts. They were accommodated onsite and COVID-19 protocols were being followed. Nearly 300-350 labourers were carrying out the work in each of these construction sites, said officials.
The new institutions would have 150 MBBS seats each. The upcoming medical colleges with hospitals would have three sets of buildings.
Most of the attached hospitals would be provided with a capacity of a minimum 500 beds. Besides hostels and quarters, there would be a separate facility for gymnasiums and post offices.
These projects were being taken up with 60% funding from the Central government and the rest from the State government. The total plinth area of the colleges would vary between 3 lakh and 10 lakh sq ft.
The ₹447 crore work at Udhagamandalam was one of the recent ones to be started, owing to the delay during the lockdown last year. “We are working to complete the projects on time to enable new admissions in the next academic year,” said an official.