Belagavi: The ambitious project to construct a fully equipped 100-bed Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) hospital in Ashok Nagar remains stalled, six months after the tender process was completed, raising serious concerns among lakhs of insured workers in the region.
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The Union Ministry of Labour had approved nearly ₹152 crore for demolishing the existing 50-bed ESIC hospital and staff quarters and building a modern facility at the same site. An official order was issued on July 24, 2025, and the tender process was conducted during July–August last year with a 30-month construction deadline.
However, no visible progress has been made on the ground. Neither demolition work nor foundation-laying activities have commenced, leading beneficiaries to fear that the long-awaited project could turn into another “paper project.” Notably, an earlier tender for the same project had been cancelled for undisclosed reasons before being reissued.
Belagavi, a major industrial hub, has more than three lakh workers employed in factories and manufacturing units who depend on ESIC medical services. Adding to the concern, patient care continues in the existing hospital building, which has been declared unsafe and unfit for use in a structural assessment report submitted by an engineering college in Tamil Nadu. The report recommended dismantling the structure.
As part of the redevelopment plan, ESIC had decided to temporarily relocate the hospital to a facility in Yamnapur before beginning construction. Although work at the temporary site was reportedly completed and a relocation order was issued in June last year, the shifting process has been delayed due to administrative hurdles, technical issues, and lack of coordination.
The delay in relocation is cited as a key reason for the project’s standstill.
District Minister Satish Jarkiholi said he would soon convene a meeting with concerned officials to review the situation. “It is a need of the hour,” he said, acknowledging the urgency of upgrading healthcare infrastructure for the city’s industrial workforce.
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