Kalaignar Centenary accommodation facility for patients’ families in Vellore nearing completion

The Kalaignar Centenary facility in Vellore will offer affordable accommodation for patients’ families, enhancing their hospital visit experience.

The ₹45.91-crore Kalaignar Centenary government boarding and lodging facility, meant for the family members and relatives of patients visiting various government hospitals in Vellore, including the Government Multi-Speciality Hospital, is nearing completion.

Accompanied by Collector V.R. Subbulaxmi, Minister for Highways and Public Works E.V. Velu inspected the work on the new facility at Perumugai village near the Collector’s office on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway (NH 48) on Monday. “The new facility will provide affordable accommodation for a nominal fee. The work will be completed in the coming weeks,” S. Lokesh, Assistant Engineer (AE), PWD (Vellore), told The Hindu.

Spread across five acres of land, the three-storey complex would have 119 rooms with at least 250 beds for visitors, including 48 double-bed rooms, a visitors’ hall, lifts, washrooms, and drinking water facilities. The lighting of the facility is solar-powered. Additional facilities such as a park, CCTV cameras, parking area, and bitumen approach roads have also been provided.

PWD officials said that currently, around 250 private lodges operate within the Vellore Corporation limits. Most of them are cramped and poorly lit, with bare minimum facilities. They also charge high rents.

In contrast, the new government accommodation is located on the Chennai-Bengaluru Highway with easy access to the nearest hospitals, including government healthcare centres. The new facility would provide low-cost accommodation for patients from neighbouring districts and States, they added.