State’s first PPP model medical college to come up at Kayamkulam

The first medical college in the state with public-private participation (PPP) will come up at Kayamkulam.

The draft proposal for it has been approved by the state government. Though the issues regarding the proposed land for the medical college remain to be solved, Harippad MLA Ramesh Chennithala has announced that the foundation stone for the medical college will be laid on November 1 by President Pranab Mukherjee.

The government is considering the excess land on the premises of the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC) for the medical college. But the NTPC is yet to take a decision in this regard. The director board meeting of the NTPC next month is expected to consider the matter. However, Health Minister V S Sivakumar said that the state government has completed all ground works for the project, except that of the land. The handing over of the land to the medical college society has to be decided by the NTPC and the Central government. We are expecting a positive decision soon”, the minister said.



25 acres of the NTPC land has been earmarked for the proposed medical college. The preliminary survey and documentation have been completed. “We have completed the survey of the land for the medical college,” Karthikappally thasildar Lathamma said. But it is learnt that the director board of the NTPC is not fully convinced of the land deal.

The board members have the opinion that the land would be used for the future expansion of the power plant. The NTPC is willing to handover about 25 acres of paddy field. But,it is not practical to fill the paddy field as there are protests against reclamation of paddy fields for industrial purposes.

Union Minister of State for Power K C Venugopal has said: “the proposal is under the consideration of the NTPC director board. The board will discuss the matter in the next meeting. We expect that a positive decision will be taken by the board.”

At a meeting held at Harippad last week Ramesh Chennithala MLA said that the governance of the medical college will be modelled on that of the Cochin International Airport Limited (CIAL). Chief Minister, MLAs and MPs will be board members. The state government will be the major stakeholder. The public who take shares worth Rs 2 crore will get 25 per cent reduction in the treatment expenses. A shareholder will also get a seat for the MBBS course in the college”, Chennithala said.