Lok Sabha MP Anurag Thakur today inspected the construction site of the upcoming PGI Satellite Hospital in Malahat, Una, to review the progress of the ongoing work. He was accompanied by Una MLA Satpal Singh Satti.
The multi-specialty hospital was originally announced on June 3, 2017, by then-Union Health Minister JP Nadda, with the foundation stone laid on March 7, 2019. A 42-kanal plot was allocated for the project in Malahat village, which has since been merged into the Una Municipal Corporation.
While project progress was initially slowed by delays in environmental clearances and national highway connectivity, work is now back on track.
Thakur stated that the construction agency has been directed to complete all civil works by the end of December this year, ahead of the public dedication. Acknowledging an overall project delay of about 18 months, he emphasised that the 340-bed facility — which includes 40 ICU beds — will be a major boon for the residents of Una and Hamirpur districts, as well as neighbouring areas of Punjab.
According to the MP, Rs 330 crore were sanctioned for the first phase, covering the administrative building, OPDs, inpatient wards and operation theatres. The second phase would see an additional investment of Rs 220 crore to construct an attached medical college.
Political strategy
in Punjab
Responding later to media queries regarding the BJP’s strategy for the upcoming Punjab Assembly elections, Thakur praised the state as the nation’s food bowl and a vital guardian of its borders. However, he sharply criticised consecutive state governments, alleging that a decade of mismanagement and non-performance had burdened Punjab with massive debt.
The BJP leader accused the state’s political leadership of plunging Punjab into “drugs, debt, and gangster rule,” asserting that citizens were now looking to the BJP for a meaningful alternative. He assured that the party would formulate a robust strategy to win the upcoming elections and meet public expectations.
