PATNA: The Bihar government on Monday handover 150.13 acres of land at Ekmi Shobhan Bypass in Darbhanga district to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the construction of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Darbhanga. The remaining 37.31 acres of land will be transferred next week. AIIMS at Darbhanga will be the second in the state after the one in Patna.
The state health minister Mangal Pandey said that he met union health minister J P Nadda and requested him to start the project.
A technical team competent authority of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare visited the site in March this year to assess the feasibility and suitability for the establishment of AIIMS. After their approval, the state government transferred the land to the union health ministry.
The state government will make arrangements for permanent electricity connection and potable water supply and also construct a four-lane connectivity for the establishment of AIIMS, Darbhanga.
Union government has given its nod three years ago for the construction of AIIMS
The Centre approved the construction of AIIMS-Darbhanga about three years ago. However, the union health ministry gave their green signal for the construction of AIIMS-Darbhanga only on July 25 this year.
Along with AIIMS, the state government is also redeveloping the Darbhanga Medical College Hospital (DMCH) at Laheriasarai, Darbhanga.
There is also a plan to construct a new 2500-bed hospital at the cost of Rs 2742.04 crore. After the construction of both the super speciality hospitals, Darbhanga will become a major centre not only for North Bihar but also for Nepal. A large number of people from Nepal, mostly from Janakpur and Viratnagar, depend on the medical facilities in Darbhanga.
Meanwhile, a verbal duel has started between JD (U) and RJD after the latter also tried to take credit for establishing AIIMS-Darbhanga.
Last year, when Chief Minister Nitish Kumar was running the government with the grand alliance, there was a dispute over the site selected by the state government for setting up of AIIMS at Shobhan area. The Centre had rejected the proposed site, terming that it is a low-lying area.
Countering the Centre’s argument, Nitish had asserted the proposed site at Ekmi Shobhan Bypass in Darbhanga was the ideal place for AIIMS.
