MARGAO
Coming out clearly to strongly oppose the medical college proposed at the South Goa district hospital, Goa Forward Chief Vijai Sardesai on Wednesday said the BJP government should explain why it is not in favour of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project, All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at the South Goa district hospital.
The Fatorda MLA threw a gauntlet at Margao MLA Digambar Kamat to speak his mind on the private medical college at the South district hospital.
Sardesai further said he is ready to make the private medical college an issue in the 2027 Assembly election so that the people of Fatorda and Margao take a call on the controversial project through the ballot.
He further said the Chief Minister should explain whether the government is batting for the private medical college when taxpayer’s money to the tune of Rs 900 crore is spent on the district hospital.
Addressing the media a day after Chief Minister Pramod Sawant announced a slew of projects in the commercial capital, including a medical college at the South district hospital and a new bus stand, Sardesai said he fails to understand why is the Goa government not in favour of welcoming AIIMS hospital at the district hospital.
“AIIMS is Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s pet project. Around 16 AIIMS have been set up across the country in the last nine years. Goa too could get AIIMS at South Goa. Instead, the Goa government is batting for the private medical college,” he lamented.
Saying his Margao counterpart is responsible for setting up the South Goa district hospital, Sardesai demanded to know whether a private medical college was Kamat’s original idea or has the MLA changed his stand after changing the political party.
Referring to CM’s claim that the BJP government has spent around Rs 30,000 crores towards the infrastructure development of Goa, Sardesai demanded to know why the government did not deem it fit to take up the construction of the Margao bus stand.
The Fatorda MLA reminded the Chief Minister that the government has downgraded the Multipurpose educational project, Borda after his exit from the government, even as he urged the Chief Minister to execute take the project to the logical conclusion.
