A team from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), along with the Director of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY), Sanjay Rai, visited the site of the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Thoppur on Monday to carry out an inspection before approving a loan of ₹1,264 crore for the project.
JICA will be providing a loan to the Central government for the construction of external infrastructure for the AIIMS premises. Representatives of the Central government and the Tamil Nadu Health Department explained the project plan, adding that all necessary permissions from the Central and State governments had been obtained.
Recently, there was a controversy over the 224.24-acre land identified for the project as a response to an RTI query revealed that the State government was yet to transfer the land to the Centre, thereby delaying the construction of the premises.
JICA’s Lead Development Specialist Aditi Puri was seen enquiring about the drinking water source of the site and the rail and bus connectivity to Thoppur.
Ms. Puri, during her interaction with Mr. Rai, said the loan would be approved only if the documentation was perfect.
Speaking to The Hindu , Mr. Rai said the land transfer was “as good as done”. “The State government has already promised land and the survey numbers have been identified. Only some documentation needs to be finalised,” he said.
Deputy Director of Medical Education T. Sabeetha said the District Collector was in the process of assessing the land and handing over records to the Central government.
"The land belongs to the Health and Family Welfare Department. There is no problem regarding land transfer. The department has provided a No-Objection Certificate,” she said.
Dr. Sabeetha added that the construction of a boundary wall at a cost of ₹15 crore will begin in a week. The entire project was expected to be completed in 45 months, she added.
