Porvorim: Health minister Vishwajit Rane on Tuesday said that a proposal to establish a primary health centre (PHC) at Indiranagar, Chimbel, is under process. He responded to a question tabled by Santa Cruz MLA Rodolfo Fernandes, whose constituency includes the slum.Rane said in his reply that a proposal has been put forward to bifurcate the Chimbel PHC into the Taleigao PHC and Merces PHC, with the latter catering to Indiranagar.TOI had carried a report about Indiranagar on Sep 4, 2025, in its ‘Slums of Goa’ series, highlighting the issue of residents travelling to Santa Cruz health centres or Bambolim for treatment.In 1973, under Prime Minister Indira Gandhi’s 20-point programme, 360 beneficiaries—mostly labourers from ghettos at Altinho—were allotted homes in Chimbel. This settlement was named Indiranagar, which soon became home to migrants from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka.From the original 360 houses, it grew to nearly 3,500 and 100 shanties, with at least 5,500 registered voters and over 1,000 children. Few local clinics operate near the settlement, with doctors available only for a few hours. If there is one major hardship, it is the absence of adequate health facilities.
