Almost six months after Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced setting up of two AIIMS-like institutes in Jammu & Kashmir as part of the Centre’s development package, the Union Health Ministry has cleared sites—Awantipora in Pulwama district in Kashmir and Vijaypur in Samba district in Jammu for establishment of the health institutions.
The proposed AIIMS will be spread over 200 acres of land.
The J&K Government had identified three locations — one in Kashmir and two in Jammu—for establishment of the institutions. Besides Awantipora in Pulwama district in Kashmir, the State Government had proposed two sites—Vijaypur and Ghagwal in Samba district in Jammu.
According to sources in the Ministry, the Centre has asked the State Secretary for Medical Education, MK Bhandari to ensure protection of site in Jammu from flooding of Devak river as well as join two patches of the site separated by national highway either through the bridge of underpass. For the AIIMS site in Kashmir, the State Government has to either close down the firing range of the army located adjacent to the proposed site permanently or relocate to another area.
In 2015-16 Union Budget, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had announced setting up of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) and IIM in the State. The decision to set-up AIIMS in Kashmir triggered protests in Jammu, prompting the Centre to sanction another such institution for the region.
Under the development package announced by Modi, the Centre has earmarked Rs4,000 crore for establishing the institutions.