Stress on medical infrastructure in ₹2,291.48 cr Panvel civic budget

PanvelPanvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh on Tuesday presented ₹2,291

Panvel

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Panvel City Municipal Corporation (PCMC) commissioner Ganesh Deshmukh on Tuesday presented ₹2,291.48 crore budget for the year 2023-24. The budget that does not hike taxes has taken up health-related projects on a priority basis.

Established on October 1, 2016, this is the seventh annual budget of the Corporation. The commissioner has estimated income of ₹2,291.48 cr and expenses of ₹2,291.06 leaving a surplus of ₹42 lakh for the next financial year.

“The budget has been made taking into account the need to provide quality health, education, water supply and road and other basic civic services along with important works like beautification and slum rehabilitation,” said Deshmukh adding, “The priority this time is to provide state of the art health services in the city by developing requisite infrastructure and introducing new facilities.”

Giving details, he said, a 450-bed fully equipped mother and child care hospital that will be called `Hirkani’ will be constructed at plot 8A and 8 B spread over 8,000 sqm area in sector 18 of Panvel. The ground plus seven storey building with around 4.25 lakh sqft will cost ₹225 crore and will be ready in three years.

“It will be fully equipped with state of the art equipment to provide quality services. For that, it will have OPD, in-patient department, intensive care unit, NICU, operation theatre, laboratory, sonography, x-ray department, blood bank, mortuary and counselling centre,” Deshmukh said adding that the RTPCR lab started during Covid pandemic by the civic body in Koliwada Panvel will be converted into an lab for infectious and communicable diseases and the ₹2 crore lab will provide free disease related tests.

According to Deshmukh, “Under the national health scheme we are starting 15 urban health posts (UHP) this year. Of these six are functioning and of the remaining nine, three are under construction while work on six will start soon. ₹2.25 crore will be spent on setting up each UHP for which ₹20 crore have been allocated.” He said under the National Urban Health Mission, two urban community health centres of 50 bed capacity have been sanctioned and will come up in Kalamboli and Taloja. Six Urban Wellness Health Centres will also be set up in rural areas.

Stating that water shortage issue will be resolved in a couple of years, he said, “We get 217 mld water against the need of 267 mld. For the 50 mld requirement, we have already paid ₹170 crore to MJP under Amrut Yojana. From Nhava Sheva phase II project we will get additional 100 mld water which will take care of the next 20 years requirement. We are also looking at alternate source from Bhira dam for increased population.”

Stated Deshmukh, “To make Panvel a slum free city, ₹200 cr have been allocated under PMAY scheme for slum rehabilitation. Along with city beautification, for solid waste collection and the equipment, vehicles and personnel required for it, ₹117 cr have been allocated.”

Concluded Deshmukh, “A development and people friendly budget has been prepared based on the understanding of the needs of the people.”