In a significant development, the Central Government has approved the construction of a new 100-bed Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) Hospital in Belagavi. The project, worth ₹152 crore, will involve the demolition of the existing hospital and staff quarters at Ashoknagar to make way for a modern facility at the same location.
The Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC), New Delhi, has floated a tender for the construction of the hospital and new staff quarters. The project is expected to be completed within 30 months (approximately 900 days) from the date of commencement.
A technical meeting regarding the project was held on July 1, and the technical bids for the tender will be opened on August 26 at 12 noon. Financial bid details will be shared subsequently.
At present, medical treatment continues in the deteriorating and unsafe premises of the existing ESI Hospital, despite an engineering report—submitted three years ago—advising against its continued use. Meanwhile, efforts are underway to temporarily shift hospital operations to Yamnapur. Once that process is completed, the current building will be vacated for demolition.
This development comes after a previously floated tender for the same project was canceled due to delays in land allotment by the state government. That delay caused significant inconvenience to the nearly 3.5 lakh registered workers in the Belagavi district and their families—around 1.4 lakh beneficiaries in total.
Rajya Sabha MP Iranna Kadadi had been actively following up on the issue, urging swift approval and execution of the new hospital. Thanks to his efforts, the Union Government has now given the green light for the construction of a well-equipped, modern ESI Hospital in Belagavi—bringing long-awaited relief to thousands of beneficiaries in the region.