ESI college, hospital to come up in Gulbarga varsity campus

Estimated to cost Rs 200 crore, Union Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge, under whose ministry the ESIC comes, is said to be very keen on establishing the hospital and medical college at the earliest in Gulbarga.

The Gulbarga University Syndicate has passed an unanimous resolution sparing 30 acres of land in the ‘Jnana Ganga’ campus for the establishment of the hospital and medical college.

It is a significant departure from the hitherto rather rigid stand of the university not to spare its land to others.

The Gulbarga university, three years ago, had outrightly rejected the proposal of sparing 50 acres of land for the establishment of High Court Circuit Bench and consequently the State government had to settle for the Housing Board land at Biddapur on the Afzalpur Road on the outskirts of the city.

Unanimous decision

It is said that Kharge himself was very keen on the choice of the university land to give shape to his brainchild project. He had written a demi official letter to the University’s Vice-Chancellor B G Mulimani requesting to spare 30 to 35 acres of land within the university campus for the ESI hospital and medical college. When the request was placed before the Syndicate, it unanimously decided to lease out 30 acres of land for a period of 99 years.

“There was perfect unanimity in the Syndicate decision as every one felt about the utility of the Central government project. The decision has been forwarded to the Principal Secretary of the Higher Education Department and it is for the government to take a final decision on the matter’’ Prof Mulimani told Deccan Herald.

Asked whether the hospital atmosphere would not disturb the academic serene of the university, Prof Mulimani pointed out that the university had come up in a vast 862 acres of land and sparing 30 acres for hospital and medical college will not affect the academic atmosphere of the university. He feels that in future, the university may derive some benefit with some kind of joint venture with the ESIC.

A team of officers from the Union Labour and Employment Ministry and ESIC have already visited the campus and are said to be happy with the location.

The informed sources said that Chief Minister B  S Yeddyurappa too has written a letter to the university authorities to consider the request for the land from of the Central government and the ESIC.

No hassles

It is evident that both the Centre and State are in tandem with each other on the issue and the project would sail through without any hassles at the earliest possible. Kharge on his part has already made it clear that the very next moment the land was handed over he would pump in at least Rs.100 cr in the first phase of the project.
The ESIC Medical College is meant for the wards of workers coming under the purview of the Industrial Disputes Act and the ESI hospital though basically for the workers who are ESI subscribers may extend medical facilities to others.