AIIMS in Assam should be set up in Raha: Gohain

Union Minister of State for Railways Rajen Gohain said the AIIMS in Assam should be constructed in Nagaon district, ten days after land was allotted in Kamrup for the facility.

Gohain, a Lok Sabha MP from Nagaon, demanded that the All India Institute of Medical Sciences be set up at Raha instead of Lower Assam's Changsari in Kamrup, near Guwahati.

"The AIIMS should be set up at Raha in central Assam viewing all aspects of North Eastern states. I will try my best to do it as a central minister," he said.

Gohain said all central projects, including the AIIMS, must serve the people of North East in equal manner.

During the previous Congress government, the state had showed a number of locations, including Raha, to the expert central team for setting up an AIIMS in Assam.

On June 28, the state government handed over more than 571 acres of land in Changsari to the Centre to set up the 750-bedded super-speciality hospital at an estimated cost of Rs 1,000 crore.

Strong protests erupted in Raha and middle Assam against this decision with senior citizens of the area starting an indefinite hunger strike.

To pacify the agitators, the state government announced to set up an All India Institute of Ayurveda at Raha.

The ruling BJP's ally AGP had lent its support to agitators and party leader and former chief minister Prafulla Kumar Mahanta visited them.

AASU, Tiwa Students body, AJYCP, Congress, Kooch Rajbangshi Sanmilani, Tai Ahom Students body, Bengali Samaj and others also extended their support to the demand.

The agitation was called off after Gohain and another BJP MP Ram Prasad Sarmah assured protesters to take initiative to fulfil their demands.