Bengaluru: Sensing the urgency to control rapidly spreading pandemic, Defence Public Sector Undertaking (DPSU) Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd has converted its Ghatage Convention Centre located on Old Airport Road into a COVID-19 Care Centre (CCC) and handed it over to Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) in Bengaluru on July 17.

The facility having 160 beds with other supporting infrastructure like toilets, bathrooms was created in 16 days, said R Madhavan, CMD, HAL. Initially, the facility would be utilised for treatment of asymptomatic COVID-19 positive patients, said Alok Verma, Director HR, HAL.

A MoU was signed between HAL, represented by Venkateswara Rao, GM (CSR) and BBMP, represented by R Venkatachalapathy, Joint Commissioner, Mahadevapura Zone in the presence of senior Government and HAL officials. Arrangements for doctors and paramedical staff and running of the facility would be taken care by BBMP.

As part of its fight against COVID-19 pandemic, HAL has already contributed Rs 26.25 crores to the PM-CARES Fund (Rs 20 crores under CSR head with employees contributing another Rs 6.25 crores). HAL produced 300 aerosol boxes which have been handed over to various state governments like Karnataka, Telangana, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Gujarat.

These boxes are used in hospitals. The company has also distributed personal protective equipment (PPE), thousands of masks besides supporting migrant labour by providing them food and shelter. HAL has identified over 600 beds to be utilised as a quarantine facility at its seven locations – Lucknow, Kanpur, Korwa, Hyderabad, Nasik, Koraput and Bengaluru.