Chennai, Dec 13 (IANS): The Tamil Nadu government is proposing a second medical college in Virudhunagar district to cater to the 56,000 workers in the fireworks industry of Sivakasi, it was announced on Tuesday.

Sivakasi is the capital of the fireworks industry in the country.

The medical college will be set up under the ESIC and the estimated cost of setting it up is around Rs 150 crore.

The state Labour Minister's office, in a statement, said that the government has already forwarded the proposal to the Central government.

The district administration of Virudhanagar has already communicated to the government that it has found 16 acres of land required for setting up a medical college in Sivakasi.

The medical college will be catering exclusively for the treatment of the victims of fireworks accidents in Sivakasi.

The statement also said that the hospital will have all the facilities required for treating injuries related to fireworks accidents.