Jahangeer Ganaie
Srinagar, Nov 23: The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Awantipora is likely to miss its January 2025 deadline, as approximately 30% of the project remains incomplete.
According to details, the Union government approved two AIIMS projects for Jammu and Kashmir in 2019. While AIIMS Jammu has been completed and inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, progress on AIIMS Awantipora has been slower, with 30-35% of the work still pending.
Officials said that 70% of the work on AIIMS Awantipora has been completed, but the remaining 30% cannot be finished within the one-month window left before the deadline. Despite a commendable pace of work, they said it is not feasible to complete the project by January 2025.
“There is a need to accelerate efforts on this ambitious project to ensure its completion at the earliest. While 70% of the work has been completed over the last five years, expecting the remainder to be finished in one month is unrealistic,” an official said.
Residents of Awantipora and surrounding areas have urged the government to expedite the completion of the project, saying there is a dire need for healthcare infrastructure in the region.
They lamented that both AIIMS projects were approved simultaneously but have not been completed at the same pace. The people of Kashmir, who have limited healthcare options compared to Jammu, are more in need of AIIMS Awantipora, they said.
Many locals called for completing the project early to reduce the hardships faced by patients requiring treatment for critical illnesses.
Meanwhile, officials working on the project said efforts are in full swing and aim to complete the work by June 2025.
They cited several reasons for the delay, including legal disputes over land acquisition for the access road, restrictions following the abrogation of Article 370, challenges posed by a nearby army base, erratic weather, and the COVID-19 pandemic. These factors collectively hindered the progress of this mega project, they said.
An official said that progress has been made over the past two years. “Work on four academic blocks, multiple hospital blocks, and hostel blocks is nearing completion, and efforts are underway to hand over the facility to the concerned authorities as soon as possible,” he said.
The Central government approved AIIMS Awantipora in 2019 at an estimated cost of Rs 1,828 crore. The project includes the construction of approximately 57 buildings, encompassing a hospital, hostels, residential quarters, a football ground, tennis courts, gardens with medicinal plants, and other state-of-the-art facilities.
Upon completion, the institute will provide 1,000 beds, including 300 super-speciality beds, which is expected to bolster Kashmir’s healthcare infrastructure. The project also includes a medical college with a capacity for 100 students and a nursing college for 60 students.
The government has set December 31, 2024, as the new deadline for completing the project. However, officials are optimistic that the facility will be fully operational by June 2025.
