The country’s premier health institute All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on Tuesday joined hands with the National Building Construction Corporation (NBCC)) limited for developing a housing complex for the staff on its western campus amid protests by resident doctors who are opposing the Government’s policy of selling 10 per cent institutional land for commercial use.
Terming as “historic moment” the signing of MoU, Union Health Minister J P Nadda said in the last two years many development proposals of AIIMS have turned into reality. Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu said the project will change the face of AIIMS.
“I am ready for a debate on the issue. All the professors, teachers and staff want better accommodation and facilities. They need to focus and concentrate on their research work. It is difficult for them to commute from Noida and Ghaziabad,” he said.
“We are giving land to NBCC so that they can recreate modern houses and better facilities for staffs. I don’t understand why some people are opposing this. After all NBCC is an arm of the Government,” Naidu added.
As per the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), NBCC will build 3,928 apartments in Ansari Nagar, West Campus for the staff of the institute on over 65 acres of land, at an estimated cost of Rs 4,441 crore.
In turn, about 2.9 acres out of 29 acres of institutional land would be given to NBCC for commercial use.
NBCC would be charging 10 per cent of the final project cost as project management consultancy (PMC) fee and 1 per cent for the marketing expenses on total fund realisation from the sale/lease of built up area.
Meanwhile, members of the Resident Doctors Association (RDA) had a minor scuffle with the security guards when they forcefully tried to enter the auditorium where the MoU was being signed.
“We just wanted to send three of representatives to handover the memorandum before the MoU is signed but the administration did not allow us. We were protesting peacefully but the security guards tried to remove us from the lobby which led to a minor scuffle between the resident doctors and security guards,” AIIMS RDA president Dr Vijay Gurjar said.
“We oppose the decision of selling 10 per cent of the land alloted to the institution for commercial purposes as this is totally against the Constitution of AIIMS and is being imposed without proper consensus among the resident doctors, faculty members and research students,” he said. RDA has also called a general body meeting to decide its further course of action.