Media Release
Mangaluru, Jan 10: The Father Muller Charitable Institutions was conferred the ACCE (I) MLR-UltraTech Jury Special Award for ‘Out of the Box Thinking’ in design and construction of Reinforced Concrete Structures (Infrastructure) award in all four districts of Karnataka, namely Chikkamagaluru, Shivamogga, Dakshina Kannada and Udupi.
The award is constituted by the engineering body, Association of Consulting Civil Engineers (India) Mangaluru Center. The ACCE MLR Center in association with Ultra Tech Cements have been conducting the awards since 2007 and has been well received by the public of the districts. The main intention of the award is to create a positive competition spirit among the engineers, builders, contractors and owners so that the best quality of construction practices and concrete utility prevails.
The award was bestowed to the FMCI on the January 8 in a grand gala ceremony Award Nite 2019 at Milagres Hall Complex. Fr Richard A Coelho, director FMCI and Fr Ajith B Menezes, administrator, FMMC, received the award. The award is not new for FMCI as in 2017 that received the best well built concreted infrastructure in Dakshin Kannada for the Father Muller Convention Center, located at the Pumpwell side of the campus.
The overhead water tank was commissioned on February 2017 under the architectural designer Praveen Saldanha of the Saldanha Associates and structural engineer Anil Hegde in association with construction group Diwakar Constructions.
The water tank in itself exudes modern innovative architecture through its inverted pyramid design on slender piers. The over head tank has a capacity of 3 lac litres and has an underground sump attached to it having 20 lac litres. It was blessed and put into service by the Bishop of Mangaluru Dr Peter Paul Saldanha who is also the president of FMCI on March 13, 2019.The need of the tank arose with the ever-growing water demands for various utility purposes within the Father Muller Charitable Institutions, Kankanady campus.
The campus houses the largest bedded super speciality hospital in the region with over 1250 beds of which more than 850 beds are free beds. The campus also has educational units namely, Father Muller Medical College(FMMC), Father Muller College of Nursing (FMCON), Father Muller School of Nursing (FMSON), Father Muller College of Allied Health Sciences, Father Muller College of Speech and Hearing, Leprosy Hospital, Vailankani De-addiction center, Psychiatric Hospital, Rehabilitation center, Hostels, Father Muller Convention Center, Father Muller Research Center, Father Muller Indoor Stadium and Gym, the Utility Building (housing the pharmacy, bank, canteen, Homeopathic OPD), Cafeteria and Dietaries Block, the Maintenance block and the power house and heart of the campus St Joseph Chapel.
The campus accommodates 2,500 faculty and staff and around 5,000 students and in full capacity around 2,500 patients and bystanders. The OPD itself on an average day caters to around 2,000 outpatient footfall per day. With the infrastructural need and the human resource it caters to, large amount of potable water is required to maintain its smooth running. With water recharging and water waste management systems in place the campus has been able to save water and ration its need.
It is a proud moment for the FMCI, which follows the principal laid down by Jesus Christ; to do good deeds in secrecy and silence. The institution has been succour to the sick and health seekers. The charitable nature in itself has echoed its magnanimity in the region and world over. The health check-up schemes given by the institution every Christmas season has seen a bevy of health enthusiasts availing the services.