Supportive Services

Water System

As already mentioned, a natural reservoir, sufficiently large, had been created by building a Dam across rivulet “Nahaksinga” way back in mid 1950s. The natural reservoir has an intake device to feed water to a complete water treatment plant which supplies 2,25,000 liters (50,000 gallons) of potable water per day through well-connected pipelines. It won’t be out of place to mention here that this water treatment plant along with overhead tank and pipelines which were built during mid-fifties of the last century are badly in need of major repair and replacement with better quality to fit the present day standard. Almost the entire system is condemned and needs total revamp. At present we have 3 bore wells providing us water as a makeshift arrangement.

Agro-farm

We are happy to inform that after a lapse of almost five to six years the Agro-farm Department of the Sanatorium is thriving with life and enthusiasm again (July 2019). Though both major kharif and rabi crops failed this year due to so many unavoidable reasons, we are very much hopeful about the future of this Department. To add to this, “Ramakrishna Sarovar” a 90 X 50 X 4.5 meter water reservoir has been dug at the back side of old post office vacant land this year. This would solve the scarcity of irrigation water problem in the adjacent land. After a long gap, the cultivable land of the Sanatorium is covered with different kinds of crops and looks green and pleasing to eyes. Both the monastic inmates and patients are enjoying Ashrama grown food items. During this period we had the following food items grown on Sanatorium land: Paddy 23 MT, Wheat 3 MT, Ginger 1.3 MT, Mustard oil seed 0.25 MT, Turmeric 0.12 MT and different vegetables like Tomato, Green peas, Gourd, Plantain etc. One of the best services this Department is offering is that round the year sizeable amount of poor people from the nearby villages are getting job opportunities and earning their bread and butter.

Dairy farm

Nutritious food intake is one of the most mandatory requirements for the speedy recovery of TB patients. With this idea a regular Dairy was set up in the campus of the Sanatorium called “Goshala” way back in 1959. Slowly the milk production went up and it has enabled us to meet the needs of the staff members and their families including children. The neighboring villagers had no other facility to procure milk from the vicinity; hence they also approached the Sanatorium for supply of fresh milk from our ‘“Goshala”. Since long “Goshala” has been catering to the requirements of in-patients, Ashrama, staff and their families, people from neighboring villages and also more than 525 school children every day. The Sanatorium has developed a few plots of land for growing grass and green fodder for the cows. It has separate grazing fields also where cows are let off twice in a day to enjoy the green open fields. The health of the cows is regularly monitored by a visiting veterinary surgeon. The Dairy produces on an average 350 liters of milk per day.

Plantation

Since its inception, plantation was taken as a holistic creed in the Sanatorium and over the years a lot of varieties of trees like Deodar, Eucalyptus, Teak, Gulmohar, Gamhar, Amaltas, Karanj, Pine, Muchkunda, Nagalingam, Mango, Jackfruit, Lichi, Jamun, Jacaranda, Ashoka, Neem etc. have grown in addition to the Sal forest adding a unique beauty to the landscape. To help the TB patients breathe fresh air and to provide sylvan surroundings, the Sanatorium has developed, on its own, an extensive growth of Sal woods which stand out as an attractive diversion point for visitors. The unique nature of the plantation programme of the Sanatorium is that it is not in any way event-oriented or time-dependent but a routine exercise in protecting the ecology and giving shape to a vibrant vision. The Sanatorium has a good orchard. It has varieties of fruit plants like Mango, Jacfruit, Jamun, Guava, Lichi, Peach, Pear, Lemon, Ber etc. Flower plants, both perennial and seasonal are plenty in Sanatorium Garden. Lilies, Jasmine, Hibiscus, Gardenia, Bougainvillea, Allamenda, Antigonon, Campsis, Clitoria, Jarul, Ipomia, Quisqualis (Madhavi), Jacaranda, Magnolia, Champaka, Muchkunda, Bakul, Gulancha, (Plumeria), Gulmohar, Amaltas, Oleandar, Rangon (Ixora), Belle (Rai), Night queen etc. are grown in abundance. Seasonal flowers like Marigold, Zenia, Dalhia, Chrysanthemum, Southern Belle and some other flowers are grown in their respective seasons.

Herbal Garden (Under the Ministry of AYUSH):

Throughout the world cutting age technology has become blessing to the field of alternate medicine. Slowly and steadily alternate medicine is getting its footing among the medical fraternity and people are opting more and more for treatment with the help of this branch of human knowledge. Government of India too took initiatives to promote this age old systems of medicine prevalent in our country - Ayurveda, Naturopathy etc. About 140 varieties of medicinal plants have been planted to develop Herbal Garden under the Ministry of AYUSH covering three different plots of about 3 acres of land.