MMRDA spent Rs 53 crore on COVID-19 hospital, 2,118 beds at facility

With the spike in the number of Coronavirus cases and reports of non-availability of beds at government as well as private hospitals in Mumbai, the infrastructure and town planning arm of the Maharashtra government, Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA), has built a COVID-19 hospital.

In reply to an RTI query filed by activist Anil Galgali, MMRDA informed that it has spent Rs 53 crore for constructing the COVID-19 hospital in BKC, which has 2,118 beds and the expense of each bed is Rs 25,000.

RTI activist Anil Galgali had sought information about the hospital in phase 1 and phase 2 constructed under COVID-19 from MMRDA administration. As per the information provided, a total of Rs 53 crore has been spent on this hospital. In the first phase, Rs 14.21 crore was spent on civil and electricals, while Rs 21.55 crore was spent in the second phase.

The total number of beds installed in both stages is 2,118. In the first phase, Rs 5.26 crore was spent on equipment and material, while Rs 12.06 crore was spent in the second phase. These facilities include oxygen, ICU, dialysis, and triage.

Procurement works and services were made in accordance with the government's proposal of the Department of Industry, Energy, and Labour as well as the special conditions of the Union Finance Department and the provisions of emergency procurement.

However, activist Anil Galgali said, "Even if the tenders were not floated, the MMRDA needs to keep all the expenditure information updated and uploaded on its website, so that anyone can easily inspect and avail it."