Steps to declare Sivakasi as a corpn initiated, says CM

Preliminary works to declare Sivakasi as a corporation had been initiated, said chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami in the presence of union health minister Harsh Vardhan at an event to lay foundation stones for a government medical college in Virudhunagar district on Sunday.

The Rs 380 crore medical college is to come up on 22-acre land. The announcement for upgrading the Sivakasi municipality had already been made during the MGR centenary celebrations last year. As Sivakasi is completing a century as a municipality, a special fund of Rs 50 crore would be released for developing infrastructures such as roads, parks, drainage and street lights as per the demand by local minister Rajendra Bhalaji, he said.

A fund allocation of Rs 3 crore will be made to renovate the rajagopuram of the ancient Kasi Viswanathar temple in Sivakasi, as per popular demand, he said.

Adding that Tamil Nadu is making many strides in the field of health care, Edappadi said that the state is polio-free for 16 years. As per the request made by the union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan, efforts would be taken to declare the state free of tuberculosis by the year 2025, he said. Tamil Nadu also stands first among the states in organ donation.

All steps are being taken to complete the AIIMS hospital in Madurai at the earliest and the union minister had assured that the hospital would be on the lines of the AIIMS hospital in New Delhi, he said.

EPS also announced new schemes for Virudhunagar, including a new building for the Aruppukottai tahsildar’s office, a new office for the Rajapalayam panchayat union, a gas-operated crematorium in Rajapalayam, and a high-level bridge across Sittrar in Athikovil a tribal settlement in Watrap. Minister for health C Vijayabaskar said that the chief minister has got 11 runs in a single ball by bringing 11 medical colleges to the state in a year. Deputy chief minister O Panneerselvam, minister K T Rajendhra Balaji were also present.