Darbhanga AIIMS: Centre approves construction, Bihar Govt to expedite process of land transfer

Patna: Four days after the Central government approved the construction of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Darbhanga at Ekmi-Sobhan Bypass in Bihar, the state government has directed officials concerned to expedite the transfer and handover of the identified land.  

Senior officials of all concerned departments have been asked to complete all required work, including transfer and hand over of the identified land to the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, for the construction of Darbhanga AIIMS on an urgent basis, Bihar Health Minister, Mangal Pandey told PTI on Sunday.

“The Centre has given its approval for the construction of Darbhanga AIIMS. It’s a great gift by the Centre to Bihar. We thank PM Narendra Modi Ji and Union Health Minister J P Nadda Ji, for giving the nod for the construction of Darbhanga AIIMS. Under the leadership of our PM and Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, the work of improving medical facilities in the state has progressed at a rapid pace and it will continue further… “, said Pandey.

Also read- AIIMS Darbhanga Campus Gets Central Approval, Says Bihar CM Nitish Kumar

“The state health department received a letter from the Centre on July 25 in this regard. Darbhanga AIIMS will be the second in the state after Patna AIIMS. This will lead to a massive expansion of Darbhanga town and its surrounding districts and will also create a lot of employment opportunities”, said the state health minister, adds PTI.

The Director of Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) of the Union Health Ministry in a letter dated July 25 to the Additional Chief Secretary, Bihar Health Department, said, “This is to inform that on the recommendation of the central technical team, the competent authority has approved the establishment of AIIMS at Shobhan in Darbhanga. The team visited Darbhanga on March 18-19, 2024 to assess the feasibility and suitability of the site at Ekmi Shobhan in Darbhanga for the establishment of AIIMS there”.

The state government is requested to transfer and hand over the required encumbrance-free land to this ministry and initiate necessary action for the provision of permanent electricity connection of 20 MVA from two alternate sources. Besides, four-lane road connectivity and a potable water supply of 1.5 MLD are required for the establishment of Darbhanga AIIMS, according to the letter.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), NDA alliance partner expressed its happiness over the Centre’s permission for the construction of Darbhanga AIIMS.

In a post on X, JD(U) national working president, Sanjay Kumar Jha, wrote, “Darbhanga AIIMS will be built in Shobhan itself, construction will start soon. For this approval, I express my heartfelt gratitude to the respected PM, Union Health Minister and CM Nitish Kumar, on my behalf and on behalf of all the people of the Mithila region. The state government will soon transfer the entire land (more than 150 acres) to the Centre free of cost”.

“Along with this, the state government will also take necessary steps to arrange electricity and water supply at the site from its own resources and will provide four-lane connectivity to it. This will create employment opportunities in the area. The state government is also redeveloping the Darbhanga Medical College Hospital. A plan of Rs 2,742.04 crore is underway to build a new 2500-bed hospital there.

“After the construction of both the super speciality hospitals, Darbhanga will become a major medical centre not only for North Bihar but also for Nepal”, wrote Jha, who also shared the Center’s letter on the micro-blogging site, news agency PTI reported.

Medical Dialogues team had earlier reported that in 2015-16, the project of setting up a second AIIMS in the state was proposed in the Union Budget. The centre had asked the state to find more alternative locations of 200-acre land along with requisite infrastructure.  

In September 2020, Union Minister, Ashwini Kumar Choubey confirmed that the proposed AIIMS in Darbhanga will have a 700-bed facility that will be developed with a budget of Rs 1361 crore, as approved by the Ministry of Finance.

The Union Minister of State for Health and Welfare, Ashwani Kumar Choubey apprised that the central government has approved the project's initial report and reviewed the entire project. Choubey also informed that the construction work would be initiated soon. However, the project is still in progress.

In November 2021, the Bihar cabinet cleared the transfer of 200 acres of land for the project out of the total 227 acres that come under DMCH. The state government earlier decided to allot 200 acres of DMCH land for the construction of Bihar’s second AIIMS, of which it transferred 81 acres to the Centre in September last year.

Also read- AIIMS Darbhanga To Come Up At Separate Location: CM Nitish Kumar