The proposed state-of-the-art blood bank — the second such blood bank in the city after the state-owned metropolitan blood bank in the JJ Hospital complex in Byculla — was supposed to get a Rs 125-crore grant from the Centre.

Dr Sanjay Jadhav, member of the governing board, National Blood Transfusion Council, and in-charge of the metropolitan blood bank project, said the project is on and architects are being appointed, but he confirmed that the funds have not reached the civic authorities yet.

“The metro blood bank project in Mumbai is in sync with similar blood banks in Delhi, Kolkata and Chennai. The funds have to be released together,” he said. The funds for the blood bank were sanctioned in November 2008.

When contacted, Dr Sandhya Kamat, dean of LTMG Hospital, confirmed that the blood bank project has not taken off yet.

The civic body had identified a 75,000-sq ft plot at the old army barracks of Lokmanya Tilak Municipal General Hospital in Sion to set up the blood bank. It also had a plan to start the construction early this year.

A blood collection centre is only part of the mega project. The civic body has a plan to make it a centre of excellence by setting up a molecular biology lab, genetics studies centre,

immunology centre, cord banking and stem cell facilities, plasma fractionation centre, thalassemia day care centre, hemophilia day care centre and biotechnology laboratory.

The civic body is also planning to start Phd programme and post gradute courses like MD in transfusion medicine and MSc at the centre.

According to sources, the centre would act as a ‘mother’ blood bank for small and private blood banks in the city, with a fully automated facility for blood testing and component separation.