Governor of Sikkim performs Bhoomi Puja and lays foundation stone of Sikkim Suswasthya Bhawan in the presence of Chief Minister of Sikkim, at Khargar, Navi Mumbai
Navi Mumbai, Aug 30: 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, today.
The Bhoomi Pooja was performed by Governor of Sikkim, Ganga Prasad in the august presence of Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang, accompanied by Krishna Rai, and 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. On arrival, the Governor and the Chief Minister inspected the area and the drawings of the proposed project. The presentation was made by Chief Engineer, Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Neeraj Pradhan.
Present on the occasion were Speaker, Sikkim Legislative Assembly, Arun Upreti, Deputy Speaker, SLA, Sangay Lepcha, Cabinet Ministers and MLAs of the Government of Sikkim, MLA Panvel, Prashant Thakur, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Government of Sikkim, G.P. Upadhyay, Political Secretary to HCM, Press Secretary to HCM, senior officers of the Government of Sikkim, Police Commissioner, Navi Mumbai, Bipin Kumar Singh, Principal Resident Commissioner, Sikkim House, new Delhi, Ashwini Chand, Municipal Commissioner, Panvel, Ganesh Deshmukh, Vice Chairman cum Project Director of City and Industrial Development Corporation (CIDCO), Dr. Sanjay Mukherjee, Joint Managing Director, (I), CIDCO, Ashwin Mudral, Joint Managing Director (II), CIDCO, S.S. Patil, Joint Managing Director (III), CIDCO, Dr. Kailash Shinde, officers and staff of CIDCO, Officers and staff of Navi Mumbai Municipal Corporation, special invitees and media fraternity from Sikkim and Maharashtra.
After the formal welcome and lighting of the ceremonial lamp, the Governor and the Chief Minister were escorted to the site of the Bhoomi Pooja. After performing the rituals, the Governor and the Chief Minister unveiled the plaque and laid the foundation stone of the Sikkim Suswasthya Bhawan. After the pooja, the dignitaries planted a sapling each at the site.
Thereafter, Additional Chief Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Government of Sikkim, G.P. Upadhyaya delivered the welcome address and made a brief presentation of the project. He expressed his gratitude to the Governor and the Chief Minister for envisioning the momentous project which will hugely benefit the people of Sikkim.
A short 3D illustration video on the project was also screened on the occasion. 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 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 today. 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.
The facility, once complete, will be a major boon to the people availing medical treatment as it is at a close proximity to the renowned Tata Memorial Hospital and other reputed hospitals, educational institutions and industrial centres.Addressing the august function, Governor of Sikkim, Ganga Prasad, congratulated the Chief Minister and the people of Sikkim for the noble initiative of the Government of Sikkim.
He lauded the Chief Minister of Sikkim, Prem Singh Tamang for giving attention to the basic needs of the people of Sikkim and envisioning the much-needed facility in Mumbai. The Governor thanked the MLA of Panvel Prashant Thakur for his presence and participation in the function, and urged him to extend his continuous support during the entire process of construction of the project.The Governor further added that the facility will open up vistas of opportunities for the people of Sikkim to carry out allied activities and create employment for several others. He added that the architecture and aesthetics of the facility and the proposed emporium will further enhance the unique ethnic identity of Sikkim.
Chief Minister, in his address extended his gratitude to the Governor of Sikkim for his valuable presence in the function and for performing the Bhoomi Puja. He 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 reiterated 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. He added that the Government honours the contribution of all the public representatives and concerned officers, panchayat representatives, councillors, and different wings of the Government and therefore had invited them all the way from Sikkim to attend the function.
The Chief Minister also put on record his appreciation for the media fraternity for their presence and participation in the function.Chief Minister, Prem Singh Tamang extended his warm greetings to the people of Maharashtra on the auspicious occasion of Ganesh Chaturthi. He also extended his Teej greetings to the people of Sikkim.
The Chief Minister thanked the Cabinet Ministers, MLAs and other dignitaries from Sikkim for their valuable presence. He also thanked the MLA, Panvel, Prashant Thakur, for his special presence in the function and for his constant support. He thanked the officers of the Government of Maharashtra and CIDCO for valuable support for the project.As a token of gratitude, mementoes were presented to the Governor, the Chief Minister, Cabinet Ministers, MLAs and other dignitaries by the Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Government of Sikkim.Likewise, the Governor and the Chief Minister felicitated the officers of the Government of Maharashtra, and CIDCO for their consistent support towards the project. 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.
The allotted site area is 3999.94 sqm or 43054.90 sft. A building plan has been prepared considering the factors with seven storeys in L-shape depicting unique architectural aesthetics of the state’s major ethnic communities viz; Bhutia, Lepcha and Nepali. The total height of the building is 29.30 metres at its highest point. A soft demarcation of space is done to facilitate the patients and their relatives and separate space for other guests.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 of world class standards.The building will have other facilitation rooms like staff housing waiting lounge, VIP lounge, office Multipurpose Hall, Conference room and open and closed terraces. The facilities of water pumping, electrical panel systems, UPS etc are placed at the basement. There will be an outdoor parking facility for twenty vehicles. The total cost of the project is estimated at Rs 51.52 Crores.
The function concluded with a word of thanks by PCE cum Secretary, Tourism and Civil Aviation Department, Government of Sikkim, Prakash Chettri.
via IPR, GOS
