Vijayawada: Construction work for the new building of the Basavatarakam Indo-American Cancer Hospital and Research Institute began on Friday in Amaravati, marking a significant step towards expanding advanced cancer care in Andhra Pradesh.

Hospital chairman Nandamuri Balakrishna formally inaugurated the project by performing traditional rituals and pujas. In a striking moment that drew widespread attention, Balakrishna personally operated a hydraulic excavator to dig the soil and load it into a tipper truck after the ceremonies.

Addressing the gathering, Balakrishna said the new hospital - being established in memory of his mother, Nandamuri Basavatarakam - will be developed in two phases. The first phase will include a 500-bed facility with an estimated investment of around Rs 700 crore. He noted that the hospital will be equipped with state-of-the-art technology for cancer treatment and staffed by a team of expert medical professionals.

The project is being developed on a sprawling 21-acre campus, with efforts underway to complete the first phase by 2028, after which it will begin offering services to patients.

Balakrishna also announced that a grand event will be held in Hyderabad to commemorate 25 years since the hospital's establishment in the city.

Among those present on the occasion were J S R Prasad, Member of the trust, Ravi Srinivasa Rao, chief operating officer, H Balasubrahmanyeswara Rao, project manager (Amaravati) and Borra Radhakrishna (Gandhi), chairman of Kanakadurga Devasthanam, Vijayawada, along with local leaders and a large number of women from Tullur.