Place for AIIMS in Tamil Nadu not yet finalised: RTI

Madurai: Setting up of an AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences)-like institution in Tamil Nadu has run into rough weather as the State government is yet to zero in on the most suitable location for it.

An RTI response revealed that despite the Central government requesting the State to assess the proposed sites, and identity three to four locations for setting up the AIIMS, so far it has not submitted its assessment report to the Union government.

The Central team constituted by the ministry of Health & Family Welfare had inspected five locations including Perundurai in Erode district, Thoppur at Madurai, Pudukottai town, Sengipatti in Thanjavur district and Chengalpattu in Kacheepuram district during April 22-25, 2015.

All these sites were offered by the State government, according to RTI information obtained by V S Manimaran, coordinator of People's Movement for AIIMS, Madurai.

The People's movement for AIIMS was launched recently here to garner support from youth, members of civil society and political leaders cutting across the party lines to lobby the Centre to set up the Institute here.

Sri. Vinod Kumar, CPIO & Under Secretary to the Government of India, Ministry of Helath & Family Welfare has communicated this information on May 5 to various queries raised by Manimaran including a question on action taken for setting up AIIMS, based on the inspection report submitted by the six-member team, headed by Dharitri Panda, joint secretary, MOFW.

While clarifying that no high-level committee was constituted for evaluation of sites, Vinod Kumar in his reply said that after the Central team submitted its report to the Ministry, it was decided that the site for new AIIMS would be selected as per 'challenge method'. Hence TN was requested to assess the sites offered/proposed and identify the locations on basis of criteria under the ‘challenge method’, he said.