In view of bolstering the healthcare infrastructure across the state, the Maharashtra Government on Friday decided to provide land for Employees` State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospitals free of cost and exempted from tax, news agency IANS reported.
“The government`s decision aims to strengthen the network of healthcare facilities in the state, prevent delays in hospital construction often caused by high land costs or unavailability, and ensure high-quality treatment is accessible to the common worker near their home,” Maharashtra`s Revenue Minister, Chandrashekhar Bawankule, said.
While announcing the significant initiative, he stated, “The land will be handed over under the `Occupancy Class-II` category. This crucial restriction prevents ESIC from selling the land or using it for commercial purposes, ensuring it remains dedicated to public healthcare.”
According to the state government decision, the revenue department will be the decision-making authority to approve the transfer of land with a market value of up to Rs 1 crore (Occupancy Class-2), IANS reported.
The finance department`s approval, however, will also be necessary for the transfer of land with a market value of more than Rs 1 crore (Occupancy Class-2).
The state government has fixed the required land area based on the hospital`s bed capacity and the availability of a floor space index of 1.5 or 2.0, reported IANS.
“Accordingly, eight to 10 acres of land will be needed for 500-bed hospitals, six to nine acres for 300-bed hospitals, five to seven acres of land for 200-bed hospitals, and three to five acres of land for 100-bed hospitals,” the minister explained.
He further stated that the decision is based on the state cabinet`s June resolution to provide 15 acres of `gairan (grazing land)` free of cost for a 200-bed ESIC Hospital at Karodi at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar District.
“The same rule will now be applied uniformly to all places across Maharashtra where ESIC hospitals are proposed, provided government land is available,” said Bawankule.
The Maharashtra Revenue Minister further added that the policy is expected to significantly accelerate the development of much-needed healthcare infrastructure for the massive workforce covered under the ESIC scheme in the state.
According to revenue department sources, the decision to provide government land free of cost for ESIC hospitals will most immediately benefit major industrial and labour hubs, including Pune-Pimpri-Chinchwad, Nashik, Palghar and Raigad, where new hospitals are already proposed or existing facilities are severely strained due to high patient load.
(With inputs from IANS)
