Four years after the foundation was laid for the Cochin Cancer Research Centre (CCRC), the project is expected to break ground this month, with yet another foundation laying ceremony on May 20.
The detailed project report (DPR) then had estimated the cost of construction at ₹482 crore. However, the new DPR estimates the project cost at ₹379.73 crore, which has been approved by the Kerala Infrastructure Investment Fund Board (KIIFB).
A CCRC official told The Hindu that the earlier ceremony was organised without a proper plan. “This time, work is taken up by preserving a large pond of around an acre in a total of 12.4 acres. As part of the State policy, natural water resources will be preserved, and projects will be executed without disturbing waterbodies,” the official added.
The tender for construction will be awarded soon, and work will be taken up in a time-bound manner, he said. The building will have a constructed area of 5 lakh square feet, and it will have all modern facilities and various oncology departments. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan will lay the foundation stone for the project.
The Cancer Centre will take up tobacco control programmes with awareness classes for middle-school students.
