When senior Congress leader Srikant Jena raised the issue of AIIMS satellite centre at Baleswar in the wake of Prime Minister’s visit to the town, local MP RK Jena said that the proposed project was not shelved.
He said in this regard he received a written communication from the Union Health Minister on May 12 that the AIIMS satellite centre would not be shifted out of Baleswar.
“After the rumors over the uncertainty in the project, I immediately wrote to Union Minister of Health and Family Welfare JP Nadda and also had a personal discussion with him. The Minister clarified that his Ministry issued no such statement on the shifting of the AIIMs satellite centre,” said Jena.
“I have received a written confirmation from Nadda clearly mentioning that the project will be based at Baleswar. He also confirmed that AIIMS Bhubaneswar has already taken over 25 acres of land allocated by the Government of Odisha for the development of the satellite centre and the work for the construction of boundary wall has been already been approved. He has assured his complete support to this project and will see that the centre is established at the earliest,” Jena added.