The Hindu Business Line : AP Govt bids to promote health tourism in Vizag

Investors in the proposed health city at Adarshnagar here can immediately get hundred acres of land adjoining the proposed Visakhapatnam Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS), if they are ready to pay Rs 200 crore (Rs 2 crore per acre against the market value of roughly Rs 4 crore).

``It's an open offer. Anyone can walk in with the proposal and go back with the allotment order within a week,'' he said here on Tuesday.

The investor could develop it at an additional cost and lease it out to others for health projects. However, the collector said, it should be used only for health projects. The allotment would be cancelled if the investor (or the developer) did not comply with the condition.

He said the Government had already set in motion efforts to set up the Visakhapatnam Institute of Medical Sciences (VIMS) at Adarshnagar on 150 acres of land. "The project is getting delayed as it is linked to mobilisation of resources from the twin IT towers opposite Port Chairman's quarters.''

The Housing Development Corporation has sanctioned Rs 77 crore for the VIMS. Launching of work on the IT towers was delayed as the highest bidder, who offered Rs 77 crore for building and maintaining the twin towers on 11 acre, had backed out. "Now negotiation is on with the second highest bidder.'' The Collector said that owing to the delay in construction of IT towers, the work on the super-speciality hospital could not be started.

''Anyhow, we are expecting to mobilise Rs 200 crore by selling 100 acres adjoining the area earmarked for the VIMS,'' he said.

The first project - L.V. Prasad Eye Hospital and Research Institute - would be operational in the health city on an area of five acres by July/August, he said.

He said the Government had mooted the State's first health city here to promote health tourism.