Berhampur, April 29: Chief minister Naveen Patnaik today laid the foundation stone for a 100-bed super-specialty eye hospital at Samarjhola village under Hinjilicut block of Ganjam district, 17km from here.
The hospital, to be operated by the Sankara Eye Hospital of Tamil Nadu, will offer eye care services to the people of Ganjam and nearby districts. "It is expected to start functioning by April 2016," said S. Visvanathan, trustee and secretary of the Shankara Eye Hospital.
The chief minister also handed over a cheque of Rs 6.7 crore to Sankara Eye Hospital authorities.
In January, an agreement was signed between Tata Steel and the hospital, following which the steel major had promised to pay Rs 42.3 crore for construction of the facility and its infrastructure. On that occasion, a cheque of Rs 3 crore had also been given to the hospital authorities as an advance to start the work," said Sushanta Mishra, chief of Tata Steel's SEZ project at Gopalpur. The hospital is to be built on 4.5 acres.
"The hospital will have comprehensive eye care facilities, investigations and outpatient treatment, low vision clinic, contact lens clinic, special clinic for children, day care options - same day surgeries, micro and phaco cataract surgeries, glaucoma treatment and many more," said Visvanathan.
The eye hospital at Samarjhola would be of immense help, said Barnali Baisakhi of VIP Colony.
Cluster university
The chief minister today also laid the foundation stone for the Khallikote Cluster University, a first-of-its-kind in the state and the second university in south Odisha, at a function held in the Berhampur University.
Under the cluster university concept, the 136-year-old Khallikote Autonomous College will be made the lead institute and Binayak Acharya College, Gopalpur College, Sashi Bhushan Rath Government Women's College and Chatrapur Science College will be tagged to it as constituent institutes.
The lead college will be given autonomy to prepare separate course modules, admission format and degrees.
Twenty acres at Pallur Hill near Berhampur has been identified to set up the cluster university. "We have decided to invite the National Assessment and Accreditation Council (NAAC) team this year for accreditation review," said principal Radhanath Rath.
