10 years on, Ferozepur PGI satellite centre’s stone laid

Anirudh Gupta

Ferozepur, February 25

After an inordinate delay of almost 10 years, the foundation stone of the much-awaited PGI satellite centre was finally laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a virtual ceremony in the presence of Dr Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare, besides Prof SP Baghel and Dr Bharti Praveen Pawar, Union Ministers of State for Health and Family Welfare.

Lost in translation

• PM did not specifically mention the name of the satellite centre during the virtual event that was streamed live
• Most proceedings were in Gujarati, due to which those assembled had no clue about what was happening
• A BJP leader said, “We did not even get to know when the ceremony got completed as there was hardly anything for us to understand.”

All AAP MLAs and workers skipped the meeting despite invitation from PGI officials.

Dr Sameer Aggarwal, nodal officer from the PGI, Chandigarh, said, “Spread on 27.28 acres, the satellite centre will have a 100-bed hospital with state-of-the-art medical facilities, including emergency services, critica- care centres, operation theatres, on which an estimated Rs 500 crore will be incurred.”

BJP leader Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi said this centre would prove a boon for the residents of this border district, besides the adjoining districts of Moga, Faridkot, Fazilka and Muktsar among others.