Mangaluru Smart City Limited drops plan to close Railway Station Road

Mangaluru Smart City Limited drops proposed closure of railway station road due to failure to acquire land for widening of Noor Masjid Road. Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao reviews Wenlock Hospital, foundation stone for new 50-bed critical care unit to be laid in two months. Kasturba Medical College Mangaluru ready to repair old outpatient ward and provide staff for new surgical block. Committee to be formed to plan use of new surgical block.

Because of failure to get land for widening of Noor Masjid Road between Government Wenlock Hospital and Milagres Church, Mangaluru Smart City Limited has dropped the proposed closure of the stretch of Mangaluru Central Railway station road.

During the Wenlock Hospital review meeting chaired by Health and Family Welfare Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Wednesday, October 18, MSCL General Manager K.S. Arun Prabha said 1,300 square foot of hospital’s land was among the portions of the land taken for widening of the Masjid Road.

“We could only widen a portion of this road. A critical stretch of land is yet to be acquired. As it is unlikely to get this land, we dropped the project of closing of the parallel railway station road,” Mr. Prabha said.

Earlier, Hospital Superintendent Sadashiva said with new Medicine Block and surgical block coming up, there is impending need to close the portion of the railway station road to enable free movement of patients between the new and old blocks of the hospital, which was presently separated by the road. Moreover, after loosing out 1,300 square foot of its land, the hospital was cammed for space, he said.

Mr. Rao said foundation stone for the new 50-bedded critical care unit at the cost of ₹25 crore will be laid in another two months. He said new that integrated public health laboratory will come up in the building housing District Early Intervention Centre.

B. Unnikrishnan, the Dean of Kasturba Medical College, Mangaluru, which has been using clinical facilities of the hospital since 1954, said the college is keen on taking up repair of old outpatient ward of the hospital estimated at ₹2 crore. “Please send us the proposal,” Dr. Unnikrishnan told the Minister. The college is ready to provide additional staff for the new surgical block, he said.

The Minister asked Dr. Sadashiva to form a committee, which includes representatives from KMC Mangaluru, for preparing a plan of action to put to use the new surgical block. Dr. Sadashiva said ₹8.79 crore worth new equipment and ₹2.17 crore of civil works were needed for the surgical block built by the MSCL.