New Chandigarh gets makeover ahead of PM's visit on August 24

Gaurav Kanthwal

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Mohali, August 20

With Prime Minister Narendra Modi set to inaugurate Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre at Mullanpur here on August 24, the long-neglected New Chandigarh area is under the spotlight again.

Massive upgrade in basic infrastructure is being carried out for the past three-four days here. Potholed roads, often the cause of fatal accidents on the Chandigarh-Siswan stretch, are being re-laid in a hurry. Streetlights, which have been non-functional for years, are again coming back to life.

GMADA, which has continued to ignore the area, came out with earthmoving machines and demolished unipoles and uprooted unauthorised advertisements alongside the road. Drains and gullies are being cleaned up by sanitation workers.

Chief Secretary VK Janjua, DC Amit Talwar and senior police officials visited the site this week and reviewed the progress of the project.

New Chandigarh resident Col Baljit Gothra said: “It is after a long time that roads and streetlights are being refurbished here. Most of the residents bought flats here in the hope that infrastructure will be good here and hospitals, a prime concern for elderly, will be available nearby. We hope that all projects are completed soon.”

The construction of the 300-bed hospital began on December 30, 2013. OPDs will be available for surgical oncology, medical oncology, radiation oncology, palliative care and preventive oncology, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, radiology, CT scan, MRI, ultrasound, X-ray, mammography, day care, pathology and lab facilities. A few of them became operational in May this year. It will provide tertiary care centre for the northern states such as Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh.