Bhubaneswar, May 6: The multi-specialty hospital of the municipal corporation, which is likely to come up on a five-acre plot at Gadakana in association with a Delhi-based hospital chain, will be delayed further as the latter has withdrawn from the project.

With the Delhi-based hospital chain out of the project, the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) is going to call fresh bids. While the earlier hospital project with 188 free beds was estimated at Rs 200 crore, the revised cost would be around Rs 300 crore. 

Proposals to add facilities to diagnose and treat cancer patient would also push up the costs.

 Municipal deputy commissioner (projects and public relations) Srimanta Mishra said: “The major condition with the collaborator was free beds for the poor. The Delhi-based institution was having some issues about project cost and addition of diagnostics for cancer treatment. We will issue fresh tenders.’’

Mishra, however, said that provision of free beds would remain a part of the project and there would be no change in it. The state government, on the other hand, has allowed the civic body to go for a fresh bid. The initial project report has been okayed by the central empowered committee on investment of the public-private-partnership cell of the state government.

Gadakana councillor Sanjay Kumar Sethy said: “The hospital will help people from Nandankanan, Raghunathpur, Patia, Damana, Mancheswar, VSS Nagar, Sailashree Vihar, Niladri Vihar, Chandrasekhar-pur, Jaydev Vihar and Sainik School area and people staying in 23 colonies in my ward.’’

 Ajit Dash, a resident of Chandrasekharpur, said: “In the entire region there is hardly any prominent government-run health care facility. Steps should be taken to implement the project at the earliest.’’