Rs 100 crore upgrade for medical college on Ajit Pawar’s turf

MUMBAI: A week after NCP’s Ajit Pawar was sworn in as deputy CM, the Maha Vikas Aghadi government has sanctioned Rs100 crore for expansion and modernization of the government-run medical college in Baramati, hometown of the Pawars and Ajit’s constituency.
The medical education department led by Congress’ Amit Deshmukh on Thursday issued three orders, for payment of Rs53.36 crore for construction of a 500-bed hospital, Rs16.33 crore for construction of compound wall, solar lighting and furniture and Rs28.42 crore for making payment to the project management consultant.“The Baramati medical college project got delayed, but now we are making efforts to complete it in a time-bound manner. Admissions for the100-intake capacity for the current academic session have been completed in August 2019. Once work is completed, we expect the intake capacity will increase to 150,” a medical education department official told TOI. “So far, we were utilizing local hospitals, but following Medical Council of India directives, the college will have its own hostel,” the official said. The official added, “The plan has been approved by a committee of secretaries.”
When Ajit Pawar was Dy CM in 2013, the department gave the proposal for setting up the medical college. It was submitted to MCI in 2016 and approved on May 31, 2019. As there was delay in approving the proposal, Sharad Pawar, Ajit and Supriya Sule called on the then CM Devendra Fadnavis on June 26, 2019, after which Rs80 crore was sanctioned and the project fasttracked. “It has been a dream project of Ajit so it was expedited, otherwise a proposal to set up a medical college in each district is gathering dust,” the official said.