Patna: The Bihar government has officially transferred 150.13 acres of land at Ekmi Shobhan bypass to the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare for the establishment of an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Darbhanga. This move marks a significant step towards setting up the second AIIMS in Bihar, following the one in Patna.
On Monday, Special Secretary of the Health Department, Shashank Shekhar Sinha, handed over the land transfer documents to Dr. Madhavanand Kar, Executive Director of AIIMS Darbhanga. Additional Chief Secretary for Health, Pratyaya Amrit, confirmed that there are no hurdles in the land transfer process and announced that the remaining 37.31 acres required for the project will be transferred next week. Dr. Madhavanand Kar expressed a desire for more than 200 acres to facilitate the comprehensive construction of the Darbhanga AIIMS project. However, the current transfer of land will initiate the development process.
Bihar Health Minister Mangal Pandey emphasized that construction of the AIIMS in Darbhanga will commence soon. He mentioned a recent meeting with Union Health Minister JP Nadda to expedite the project, which resulted in a request from the Centre for the land transfer to proceed quickly. The Health Ministry had approved the construction of AIIMS at the Ekmi Shobhan bypass in Darbhanga on July 25. The Bihar government initially proposed the Darbhanga AIIMS project three years ago, situated 140 km from Patna.
The Centre's request also included the provision of a four-lane road connection and a permanent power supply of 20 MVA from 1.5 MLD. The project faced delays and was initially included in the 2015-16 budget, with the Union Cabinet approving Rs 1264 crore on September 15, 2020. There were concerns about the suitability of the Shobhan site due to its low elevation, which posed engineering challenges.
Pratyaya Amrit expressed hope that the project would be completed within a reasonable timeframe, noting that the Government of India will soon tender the construction work through the Central Public Works Department (CPWD). In addition to the AIIMS update, Health Minister Pandey also announced the appointment of 52 drug inspectors and 10 dentists by the Bihar Public Service Commission, making Bihar the state with the highest number of drug inspectors in the country. He further stated that 770 additional dentist positions will be created in the near future.
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