By Vishal Gulati Chandigarh 24 Aug : In an unusual display of political jollity the Prime Minister Narendra Modi with AAP leader and Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann and Congress MP Manish Tewari took to the stage on Wednesday, inaugurated the world-class 300-bed Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre in Mullanpur in Punjab’s Mohali district, which is located near the capital city of the state.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government greeted warmly to Modi for his first visit to the state , under the leadership of Mann.
Modi visited Mullanpur to inaugurate the state-of-the-art cancer treatment facility after inaugurating the state-of-the art 2,600-bed Amrita Hospital in Faridabad in Haryana which will be administered by Mata Amritanandamayi Math — an organization for charitable causes, led by its patron saint, Mata Amritanandamayi.
The cancer hospital, which was constructed at an expense of more than 660 crore and serving as a center of cancer treatment and care in the region.It’s the first of its kind for cancer treatment in north India and whose the foundation stone was laid by Manmohan Singh, then the Prime Minister of India, on December 30 2013.
At the time, Parkash Singh Badal was the Chief Minster in the coalition of the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD)-BJP government.
In the ceremony, several Punjab Cabinet ministers as well as newly elected BJP officials Sunil Jakhar and Raj Kumar Verka each of them ex- Congress legislators, as well as state BJP director Ashwani Sharma, besides senior state officers were also present.
The party members of both BJP as well as AAP attended in large numbers in the crowd.
The Prime Minister was greeted at the Technical Airport in Chandigarh from where he flew on a chopper Mullanpur in which Modi was given a warm reception by BJP activists amid chants of “Jai Shri Ram”.
In the past, Modi visited the state on January 5 just before the time of the announcement of the Assembly elections to lay the foundation of the development project of around Rs 42,750 crore, which includes two massive road corridors to improve accessibility to the most prominent religious centers as well as three health institutions in Ferozepur town, which is bordered by Pakistan.
Due to a significant security breach that occurred during the time of the former Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi, Modi had cancelled his visit midway through.
In recognition of the grave security breach The Ministry of Home Affairs had requested a full report from the Congress government.
Security arrangements of three levels were put in place in Mohali and its surrounding areas prior to the date of Modi’s visit.
More than 3,000 police officers were assigned and at the least 50 checkpoints with special checks were established.
During the campaign in February Modi traveled to Punjab and solicited to win votes in the name of peace and stability.
Political observers informed IANS that despite the political battle between BJP and AAP the AAP government in the state has rolled out the red carpet ahead of Modi’s visit in order to inaugurate the Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital and Research Centre, on the model of Tata Memorial Hospital in Mumbai located in Medicity in Mullanpur in New Chandigarh.
In response to the hospital’s inauguration, SAD chief Sukhbir Badal said, “Many congratulations to Punjabis that a seed planted in 2012 by Parkash Badal has finally yielded fruit with the inauguration of Homi Bhabha Cancer Hospital as well as Research Centre being done by the PM Narendra Modi.
“I’m certain that the institute will make a huge difference in fighting the epidemic of cancer in Punjab,” he added.
The hospital is a tertiary-care hospital of 300 beds.It is outfitted with modern equipment to treat all types of cancers.
Punjab has witnessed an increase in the number of cancer cases, mainly in the Malwa belt in the southwestern region of the state in recent years.Environmental and agricultural experts have linked the increase in cancer-related cases to overuse of insecticides and pesticides in agriculture.
The most affected districts include Bathinda, Mansa, Muktsar and Sangrur.A cancer hospital with 100 beds has been operating in Sangrur town since the year 2018.
Punjab has donated 50 acres free of cost to the hospital.The cancer center will be outfitted with top-of-the-line diagnosis and treatment equipment like two linear accelerators, brachytherapy PECT CT bone Marrow Transplant (BMT), CT simulator, MR simulator, interventional radiology and surgical facilities.
(Vishal Gulati is reached via [email protected])
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