Shillong Jan 3: The Meghalaya government will hand over 22 acres of land to the KPC Group for constructing the Shillong Medical College at Umsawli near Mawdiangdiang.

Health minister AL Hek informed on Friday that the land at Umsawli which was only 17 acres earlier, has been added by another 5 acres.

“It requires 20 acres of land for setting up of the college as per MCI norms. Therefore another 5 acres has been given for this purpose,” Hek said

He said that there would be some modifications of the agreement as the medical college would be built in a new land.

Few years ago, the foundation stone for the construction of the medical college had been laid at the premises of the Reid Chest TB hospital in the city. It was also decided that time to shift the TB hospital to its new building at Umsawli to pave way for the construction of the medical college.

Hek however said that now the TB hospital would not anymore be shifted to Umsawli.

He said that the KPC would also utilize the building already constructed (earlier for TB hospital at the cost Rs 20 crore) at Umsawli.

It was in 2012 that the Meghalaya government had signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the KPC group for setting up a 500-bedded hospital-cum-medical college in Shillong.

There has been a delay for seven years in constructing the medical college at Shillong.

But construction of the medical college at Tura is already in progress.

Meanwhile, Hek informed that the state government has also set a target to complete this year two AYUSH hospitals at Sohra and Umtrew in Ri-Bhoi district.

In order to promote the traditional system of healing, Hek said that the AYUSH hospitals would be added with traditional system of medicines.

He also informed that the state diagnostic centre would be built at Rs 6 crore at Lawmali, and the Centre has agreed to sanction Rs 20 crore for buying of equipments.

The Health minister said that the state cancer wing at Shillong Civil Hospital would be also made functional soon.