Mumbai Mayor Ritu Tawde has directed officials to commence construction of Phase 1 of the redevelopment of Rajawadi Hospital in Ghatkopar by next week, warning that further delays will not be tolerated.
During a site inspection, Tawde highlighted the heavy patient load at the hospital and stressed the urgency of upgrading its infrastructure. She instructed authorities to expedite all pending approvals on a war footing to ensure the immediate commencement of work.
The redevelopment of Seth V.C. Gandhi and M.A. Vora Municipal General Hospital, widely known as Rajawadi Hospital, includes a 600-bed facility in its first phase. The new building will feature a lower basement, ground floor, and 10 upper floors, covering approximately 33,179 square metres, and will be equipped with modern medical infrastructure.
Officials said the foundation stone was laid in December 2025, and construction will begin once clearances related to minor minerals and debris removal are secured. Expressing concern over a four-month delay since the groundbreaking, Tawde directed officials to escalate pending issues to senior authorities and involve elected representatives to resolve them quickly. She also made it clear that obtaining necessary permissions is the contractor’s responsibility.
The Mayor further instructed that construction work should not disrupt existing hospital operations, particularly in terms of noise, dust, and patient inconvenience. She also called for regular updates to local councillors and a detailed presentation at the BMC headquarters.
Separately, Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde announced the Hinduhrudaysamrat Balasaheb Thackeray Urban Public Welfare Campaign aimed at making Mumbai slum-free. The initiative will accelerate redevelopment and deploy the NETRAM system to monitor and prevent illegal encroachments.
“We are committed to realising Balasaheb Thackeray’s dream of a slum-free Mumbai through this mission,” he said.
Source: Mid-day
