MADURAI: Classes for fourth year students of AIIMS Madurai are likely to begin from the Thoppur campus by the end of March, and outpatient services are expected to start functioning in June, according to AIIMS executive director Hanumantha Rao.
Addressing media persons on Friday, Rao said fourth-year students who are currently studying on a temporary campus at the Government Medical College in Ramanathapuram would be shifted to the Madurai campus in March.
The Madurai campus would comprise 34 blocks. Around 75% work in phase 1, and 25% work in phase 2 have been completed, Rao said, adding that priority was given to complete buildings that house classrooms, boys and girls hostels and dining hall.
“We have applied for statutory approvals (for underground drainage, fire and safety and pollution control board) and are awaiting clearance from the Tamil Nadu government,” he added.
AIIMS Madurai is being built on 220 acres at an estimated cost of Rs 2,021.51 crore. The project was started on May 22, 2024. First phase includes key facilities like the academic block, hospital outpatient services, hostels, and essential service buildings. Second phase focuses on completing the remaining infrastructure, with the entire project scheduled for completion in 33 months by February 2027.
Addressing the media after inspecting the construction work, Thiruparankundram MLA VV Rajan said, “Prime Minister Narendra Modi and AIADMK general secretary Edappadi K Palaniswami would jointly inaugurate the facility.”
A political propaganda was carried out by (the DMK) showcasing a single brick, but today, a massive structure has risen sky-high with lakhs of bricks. The building will instill confidence and be highly beneficial to the people of TN, he added.
Rajan further said projects should not be inaugurated in haste. Referring to Goripalayam flyover, he said that works are being carried out in a hurried manner for its opening, whereas AIIMS’s construction is being carried out with due safety.