Karnal medical university to now have 730 beds, deadline extended

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Karnal, July 15

The work on Pandit Deen Dyal Upadhyay Medical University near here has picked up pace. The university is being constructed at a cost of 761.51 crore in around 138 acres at Kutail village.

70% work over

Dr Jagdish Dureja, Director, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College, said nearly 70% work has been completed and the remaining will be over by December so that the university can be made functional in Jan 2023.

Announcement made in Dec 2014

With the aim to impart medical education of the highest standard, along with providing high-quality patient care, CM Manohar Lal Khattar had made the announcement about the university on December 13, 2014.

Only one-year extension given

We had sought extension of 15 months, but the government gave the permission for only a year. Anish Yadav, DC

The university will now have 730 beds, instead of 530 as proposed earlier.

Now, 200 additional beds have been included at the hospital.

“A sum of Rs 433.36 crore will be incurred on the construction of the hospital, while Rs 156.90 crore will be spent on library, lecture theatre and administrative block, while the residential block will be constructed at a cost of Rs 169.75 crore,” said Dr Jagdish Dureja, Director, Kalpana Chawla Government Medical College (KCGMC). He is also the controlling authority of the medical university.

On the demand of the construction agency, the state government extended the deadline of the project by a year to January 31, 2023,

Dr Dureja added.

He said Deputy Commissioner Anish Yadav held a meeting of the officials concerned to review the progress of the project on Wednesday, in which Yadav directed the agency to complete the work by December this year.

The project was delayed due to several reasons, including finalisation of approach road from NH-44 to the university main gate by almost two years, approval of additional area, approval from the Atomic Energy Regulatory Board (AERB), Covid-induced lockdown and change of bed capacity from 500 to 730 among others, the DC said.

“We had sought extension of 15 months, but the government gave the permission for a year, he added,” he added.

With the aim to impart medical education of the highest standard in super specialty and postgraduate medical education, along with providing high-quality patient care, Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar had made the announcement about the university on December 13, 2014.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone of the project from Kurukshetra in virtual mode on February 12, 2019.

The project was awarded to an agency in December 2018, which started the work in September 2020.

The deadline of the project was January 10, 2022.

Dr Dureja said around 70 per cent work had been completed and the remaining would be finished by December so that the university could be made functional in January 2023. He said classes of BSc Nursing and GNM, along with pyrotherapy, were being conducted in the colleges constructed on KCGMC campus.