The medical college and hospital at Balangir, started by the Western Odisha Development Council (WODC), is likely to be completed soon after intervention of the Centre.
Sources said the Centre has asked the State Government to identify land at four places in the State __ Balangir, Baripada, Balasore and Koraput __ to set up medical college and hospitals. While the State Government’s contribution will be 25 per cent of the required fund, the Centre will provide 75 per cent of the funds to complete the project. The State Government will provide 40 acres of land for each of these projects.
The State Government has identified the same land where the medical college and hospital was started by the WODC. The foundation stone for the hospital was laid by then Union minister Sharad Yadav on November 27, 1999 when Giridhar Gamang was the Chief Minister. Narasingh Mishra was the chairman of the WODC.
Work for the construction of the medical college was started and the administrative building also about to be completed. But the project was abruptly stopped in 2004.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik laid the foundation stone for the project again in 2004. However, there was no progress in the implementation of the project.
Hope for the completion of the project was rekindled after the intervention of the Centre. The then chairman of the WODC, Narsingh Mishra, has thanked the Centre, the State Government and Union Health Minister Ghulam Nabi Azad for taking interest in the project and sanctioning the required fund for its completion.