Assam plans cancer unit with Tatas, HUL

Guwahati: Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi today said the government plans to open a cancer institute at Chabua in collaboration with Tata group and Hindustan Unilever under public-private-partnership model. The proposed centre will be set up along with the state’s second cleft care unit at the same location. “We are planning to have a cancer institute at Chabua. We have spoken to the Tatas to set up this under PPP model and they have also shown interest,” Gogoi said at a press conference in Guwahati.[caption id=“attachment_1220477” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Assam Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi. AFP[/caption] Some other private players like HUL will also be a part of this initiative, but the Tata Group will have the major share, he added. “The Tata group plans to extend their Kolkata centre and wants to set up a branch in Assam. So we are thinking to have them as our partner,” Gogoi said. Replying to a question over the time it shall take for functioning of the centre, Gogoi said the cleft unit will be operationalised within the next six-eight months, but the cancer unit will take some time. Talking about the cleft removal initiative in association with NGO Operation Smile, the chief minister said the Guwahati centre has operated upon over 10,000 children, which is the highest in the world. The programme is being carried out in the state in partnership of corporates, government and NGOs, he added. On Aamir Khan’s recent visit, Gogoi said, “He liked the beauty of the state very much after he toured many interior villages. He was very happy to be here. In a way, he has become the ambassador of Assam.” The chief minister, however, said the government does not have any plans to rope in Khan as the state’s official brand ambassador. Talking about the recent killing of civilians in Goalpara district by Meghalayan militants, Gogoi said both the states have decided to jointly carry out operations in future. “We have identified the killers and some have already been arrested. We have taken it very seriously and are keeping a strict vigil,” he added. Gogoi also hoped that the ongoing discussions with various groups on separate statehood demands will soon end with “some positive solutions”. When asked about AGP president Prafulla Kumar Mahanta’s criticism about deteriorating law and order situation, Gogoi said, “Mahanta’s tenure was the darkest in the history of Assam. Employees were not getting salaries for months and secret killings were rampant.” Accepting that innocent people have been killed during some encounters, but those are not at all planned like those during Mahanta’s tenure, he alleged. The chief minister also expressed disappointment over frequent ‘bandhs’ saying such a culture is detrimental to development. Talking about his recent visit to London, Gogoi said he went to see the ‘Vrindavani Vastra’, a tapestry woven during the era of Vaishnavaite saint Srimanta Shankardeva. “It is very difficult to get it back. I will write to them through our External Affairs Ministry to request them that if possible the Vastra can be brought to Assam for only exhibition purpose,” he added. PTI