Revised Madurai AIIMS budget: Central approval likely next week
MADURAI: The Union government is expected to approve the revised budget estimate of Rs 1,977 crore for establishing an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Madurai within the next week, said executive officer of the institute Dr Mangu Hanumantha Rao on Friday.
After BJP National President JP Nadda claimed last month that 95% of the AIIMS work had finished in Madurai, heated debates erupted in the State among political parties regarding the issue. On Friday, Hanumantha Rao said, “Only after the Centre approves the revised estimate will we be able to proceed with the works. We are expecting the approval to arrive next week.”
Meanwhile, in response to an RTI query from Tenkasi-based activist Pandiaraja R, the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry on Wednesday said the process to appoint a project management consultant (PMC) for Madurai AIIMS is in progress. “92% of the pre-investment activity has been completed, including the construction of boundary walls. The entire institute construction will conclude by October 2026,” the response added.
“It has been seven years since the project was announced. However, the Centre is yet to appoint a PMC for the institute. Without a PMC, works, including selection of contractor, announcement of tender and finalising construction designs, cannot be taken up,” Pandiaraja said.
The project was announced in 2015 and a parcel of land in Thoppur was allocated for the AIIMS construction in 2018. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the institute the following year, while the project cost estimate was revised from Rs 1,200 crore to Rs 1,977 crore in 2021. The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) would grant Rs 1,627 crore, while the Union government would cover the remaining Rs 350 crore.