Visakhapatnam: No progress on ESI hosp since 3 yrs, alleges CITU

Visakhapatnam: Deploring the long delay in commencing work for the 500-bed Employees State Insurance (ESI) hospital at Sheelanagar area in the city, leaders and activists of Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), a trade union of CPM, staged a protest at Gajuwaka in the city on Friday.

Raising slogans against Prime Minster Narendra Modi-led BJP government, CITU leaders said the foundation for the hospital was laid by the then Union minister of state (independent charge) for labour, Bandaru Dattatreya, in presence of AP chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu at Sheelanagar on April 11, 2016. Even three years after the stone was laid, no progress has been made, they said.

Ch Narasinga Rao of CITU said the existing ESI hospital in the city was shifted to Arilova, which is far from the industrial area with many facing problems to reach the hospital. The proposed ESI hospital includes Visakhapatnam, Vizianagaram and Srikakulam districts in north coastal Andhra Pradesh, which has 1.91 lakh insured persons and 4.49 lakh beneficiaries.