Bids received for the project are under scrutiny and will be finalised soon
The project to convert one block of the abandoned Assembly-Secretariat complex at the Omandurar Government Estate on Anna Salai into a multi-super specialty hospital is awaiting environment clearance.
The Buildings wing of the Public Works Department (PWD) recently submitted a detailed project report to the nine-member State Expert Appraisal Committee — which comes under Tamil Nadu State Environment Impact Assessment Authority — for approval.
Once environment clearance is given, the work to convert Block A of the complex into a 400-bed hospital will start. Structural alterations have to be made in the seven-storey block. Apart from providing ramps and proper lighting, the rooms have to be remodelled for use as operation theatres. Oxygen circuit lines will also have to be provided, sources in the department said.
An option to convert the Assembly hall into a conference hall is under consideration. Bids received for the civil and electrical work worth Rs. 26.92 crore are under scrutiny and will be finalised in a few days.
The department is also awaiting environment clearance for Block B of the complex that will house the proposed medical college. It has also obtained a ‘no objection' certificate from the Chennai Metropolitan Development Authority.
Besides outpatient wards, general and special wards for inpatients, Block A is likely to have diagnostic laboratories and dedicated space for operation theatres.
At present, Chennai Metro Rail Limited is using a portion of the land to construct an underground station on Anna Salai. This will, however, not be a hindrance in executing the project to convert the complex into a hospital. CMRL will vacate the space in eight months, sources said.
The Madras High Court had stayed Tamil Nadu government's proposal to carry out structural alterations to establish a hospital-cum-medical college in the building, asking it to get environmental clearance first.
The massive building, inaugurated in March 2010 as the new Assembly complex of the State government, was abandoned in May 2011, when Jayalalithaa returned to power and shifted the seat of government back to Fort St. George. In August that year, the AIADMK government announced that the DMK-built complex would be turned into a super-specialty hospital.
With its dome that can be spotted even from a distance, the complex has four circular buildings. The dome resembles the top of Valluvar Kottam. The public plaza facing Wallajah Road was proposed to be developed into a tourist spot.
The building also received a LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Gold Certification from the Indian Green Building Council two years ago for adhering green buildings guidelines that seek to use resources efficiently.
This is nothing but political witch-hunt. We are used to seeing these
kind of things when the ruling party reverses everything that was done
by the current opposition. Though they cannot demolish this building
they are making a mockery of the bureaucracy and all the
analysis/planning that was done to build it in the first place.
The old fort i believe is with the ASI and what are they doing with
it, renting it to the TN government. Why cant we make use of a
building for the purpose it was built. Why would u want a multi
specialty hospital in the chaotic traffic corner that is there and
think abt the noise and air pollution there. I strongly urge the sane
minds in the present government to think about this about this
conversion from a practical standpoint not as a political scoring
point.
It is not so late to decide about a conference center of international standard to accommodate more than 10,000 delegates. In every Major cities in US, Australia, Canada, UK, Scotland, Japan etc, have these type of conference centers. The plenary hall can be the Assembly Hall and Many Big Hall can be there to provide subject specified Lecture rooms. The many rooms, may be 5000 or so available can be converted as delegates rooms with international standard. The remaining requirements for rooms can be used from the hotels in and around the city. The conference can be Science, Engineering, Medical etc. Since these type of facilities are not available in India, noe of these conferences are being conducted in India. The other times it can be used for small conferences and the rooms can be let out as hotels. This center can come under the Tamil Nadu tourism or new department to be created. This will bring enormous foreign exchange to Tamil Nadu / India.
What a waste of public money. Come next elections and the DMK will convert it back to Assembly Complex. Half the time of any new government in India goes in reversing all decisions made by the previous government. Why can't they focus of numerous urgent issues and work on them. How can the Indian public tolerate this madness? No party is really interested in the welfare of the state.
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