Hoshiarpur/Patiala, April 8 -- Chief minister Bhagwant Mann on Tuesday announced a new medical college in Hoshiarpur to be completed in two years. Addressing a gathering after rolling out development projects worth Rs.516 crore in Hoshiarpur's Sham Chaurasi assembly segment, Mann said that the Shaheed Udham Singh State Institute of Medical Sciences will be completed within two years. He also laid the foundation stone of a community health centre in Sham Churasi assembly constituency. "The college will train 100 MBBS doctors annually and will have a 300-bed hospital equipped with advanced facilities including OPD, MRI, CT scan and specialised departments The institute will come up at a cost of Rs.268 crore," Mann said. He also announced seven additional health and wellness centres in the constituency to expand last-mile healthcare access. At present, Punjab has only four state-run medical colleges, compared to seven private institutions. In March, the state government had announced the setting up of seven medical colleges, including two government facilities in Hoshiarpur and Kapurthala. Two minority medical colleges are coming up in Lehragaga and Malerkotla, while two more institutions are being set up on a public-private partnership mode in SBS Nagar and Sangrur. A private college is also coming up in Ludhiana. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government, in its first budget session in 2022, had announced to establish 16 government medical colleges during its five-year tenure. In addition, there are two centrally run institutions - AIIMS Bathinda and ESIC Medical College in Ludhiana. The fourth government medical college, Dr BR Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences in Mohali, was set up in 2021 after nearly five decades. "Today, development works worth Rs.385 crore have been launched at Sham Chaurasi, which will give impetus to the progress and prosperity of the region. The medical college will go a long way in imparting quality health services to the people besides emerging the state as a hub of medical education," he added.The CM also laid the foundation stone of the Rs.99 crore Balachaur-Garhshankar-Hoshiarpur-Dasuya road project. "The 105 km corridor will connect Chandigarh to Pathankot and Jammu & Kashmir via Balachaur, Hoshiarpur and Dasuya, reduce travel time between Jammu and Delhi, and facilitate smoother access for devotees travelling to Anandpur Sahib, Naina Devi and Jwala Ji, reinforcing the state government's push for balanced regional development," he added. Targeting opposition parties, Mann said they are hatching conspiracies as they are envious of the works being done by the state government for the well-being of the masses. "These leaders are hand in glove with each other and play the game of musical chairs to secure their interests in each other while in power. However, the AAP government has upset their applecart by ousting them from power, thereby fulfilling the aspirations of the common people. The Akalis got five opportunities to govern the state, but instead of serving the people, they plundered the state. Sukhbir is not aware of the ground realities," Mann alleged. Targeting Congress, Mann said every leader in this party is aspiring to become the chief minister. "They have more CMs rather than ordinary workers to work in the polls. Congress is a divided house that will collapse due to its infighting," he added. Cabinet minister Dr Ravjot, Lok Sabha MP Dr Rajkumar Chabbewal and others were also present on the occasion....