Sans ministry’s nod, AIIMS fails to take off

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 8

Union Health Minister JP Nadda’s ambitious All-India Institute of Medical Sciences(AIIMS) project at Kothipura near Bilaspur, has not taken off as the state government has not got clearance from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF) for the additional 300 bighas required for the institution.

The Union Cabinet on January 6 had approved the setting up of the 750-beded AIIMS with a medical college that would have 100 seats. The Centre has proposed an outlay of Rs 1,350 crore for AIIMS under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Surakhsa Yojana (PMSSY).

But even six months after the Union Cabinet’s approval for AIIMS, the state government is yet to get clearance for the additional 300 bighas from the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MOEF), sources said. The Centre has sought a minimum of 1,000 bighas (200 acres) at one go so that the design is made as per the availability of land, disclosed a health official.

The AIIMS project in Bilaspur will have 20 specialty and super-specialty departments, including 15 operation theatres.

We are getting clearance for from the MoEF for the additional land and we have transferred 681 bighas for the purpose. The work has been assigned to a private company and is about to start soon as the Centre has already allotted the budget for the project — —Vipin Parmar, Health Minister