Mumbai, Sep 2 : Sikkim has taken a major leap in the health sector with the foundation stone laying and Bhoomi Pooja of Sikkim Suwasthya Bhawan at Khargar in Navi Mumbai, on Tuesday. The Bhoomi Pooja was performed by Governor of Sikkim, Ganga Prasad in the presence of Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang, accompanied by a host of dignitaries from the Government of Sikkim and the Government of Maharashtra.
The Guest House/Emporium will be built in the land measuring 3999.94 sqm (at plot no 19/20), allotted to the Government of Sikkim by the City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), Mumbai.
Apart from the Cabinet Ministers, MLAs and dignitaries from Sikkim, also present on the occasion were MLA Panvel, Police Commissioner, Navi Mumbai, Principal Resident Commissioner, Sikkim House, new Delhi, Municipal Commissioner, Panvel, Vice Chairman cum Project Director of City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), officers and staff of CIDCO, Officers and staff of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation.
The establishment of an accommodation facility for the people of Sikkim availing medical treatment in Mumbai was the primary reason for the Government of Sikkim to envisage this project. It was under the direction of Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang that a team of senior officers were asked to liaise with the Government of Maharashtra and the respective local bodies to find a suitable land for the purpose. Subsequently, the Chief Minister had led a team of Cabinet Ministers and senior officers to the proposed site in 2021 to finalize the location. Finally, after much effort, the Government of Sikkim purchased a plot of land at Khargar measuring a little less than an acre, precisely the place where the Bhoomi Pooja was performed.
Apart from being useful for the people of Sikkim availing medical facilities and treatment, the Sikkim Suswasthya Bhawan will cater to students seeking study and job options in the city of Navi Mumbai, and for travellers, thus opening access to yet another mega city of the country apart from Delhi, Kolkata and Guwahati.
It may be added that the Department of Tourism & Civil Aviation, Government of Sikkim has designed the concept of the building plan incorporating basic amenities required to accommodate facilities for patients, travellers, students and promotion of states crafts and tradition through state emporium.
There will be fifty-six rooms in total, which will include twelve single bedded rooms, twenty-five double bedded rooms, eight suites, one junior suite, two VIP suits and two dormitories. Once the construction of Bhawan is complete, it can accommodate 153 persons in rooms and 905 persons can use the facility at a time. Apart from above, emporiums are planned for ethnic communities in their own cultural designs. The building will include other facilities like Cooling & Heating system, water tanks underground and over ground, a Rain water harvesting system, solar panels and all other facilities. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 51.52 Crores.
Chief Minister Prem Singh Tamang in his address thanked the Government of Maharashtra and CIDCO for allotting the highly valuable land in a nominal cost to the Government of Sikkim. He stated that this initiative of the Government is unprecedented as it addresses the long-drawn challenges faced by the people of Sikkim who have struggled to avail medical treatment facilities in the renowned hospitals of Mumbai.
The Chief Minister said that the Sikkim Suswasthya Bhawan will primarily cater to the accommodation needs of the people of Sikkim who visit Mumbai for medical treatment. He attributed the achievement to the trust bestowed upon the Government by the people of Sikkim, and the proactive participation of the Government machinery.
