News Desk: Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday visited the site of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Changsari in Kamrup and took stock of the progress of its construction. He also held a meeting with the officials of the construction firm engaged in building the institution.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister was apprised that the progress of construction was going on in an expected manner and the first stage of construction would be completed within its stipulated deadline in June 2021 and the 2nd stage would be completed within June 2022. On being informed that many of the skilled laborers, from outside the state, engaged in the construction had gone back to their native places due to COVID-19 induced lockdown, Sonowal directed the construction firm to engage local laborers from within the state to fill-up the manpower requirement. He also urged to tap the human resources in the form of the state’s youths who had returned from various places of the country because of the COVID-19 pandemic scenario.
The Chief Minister directed departments like PWD, PHED, APDCL, etc. to extend full cooperation in the construction of AIIMS. He reviewed the status of installation of power substations, drainage layout for releasing stormwater coming down from the nearby hills, provision for drinking water, emergency response system like fire outbreak management within the institution complex, etc. He emphasized the need for having a state-of-the-art control room for managing situations like fire outbreak etc.
Highlighting the beautiful landscape surrounding the AIIMS complex site, the Chief Minister directed the concerned officials engaged in the construction of the institution to make it one of the most beautiful AIIMS campuses in the country so that tourists from outside feel attracted to visit it. Notably out of the total project cost of more than Rs. 1200 crore an amount of Rs. 757 crore has been released by the Central Government for the construction of the AIIMS.
Later, while talking to the media, the Chief Minister thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and erstwhile Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda for granting such a prestigious institution like AIIMS to Assam. Once complete, this institution will transform Assam into a medical hub of not only the North East Region but the entire South East Asia, he said.
He also appreciated Health Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma for constantly monitoring and supervising the construction works and thanked the local people of Changsari for extending their help and cooperation towards the construction of the institution. People from the state would not need to go outside to get better medical facilities as AIIMS would enable the people to get super specialty treatment of various diseases here in the state itself, he said.
Health Minister Dr. Himanta Biswa Sharma, Principal Secretary of Health Department Sameer Kumar Sinha, DC Kamrup Kailash Karthik N, SP Kamrup Partha Sarathi Mahanta also accompanied the Chief Minister during the visit.
Image Source: Internet
