Thanjavur: The agitation committee for setting up an All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) like institution for Tamil Nadu at Sengipatti, 20-km from Thanjavur, on Saturday condemned the statement of R.B. Udhayakumar, State Revenue minister, and AIADMK (Amma) MLAs' of Madurai that the proposed AIIMS should be set up at Madurai and for that they are even ready to sacrifice their posts.
“This is trying to politicise the issue of setting up of AIIMS in Tamil Nadu and creating wedge among people of various districts. This would also delay the project,” said Thiru. Ayyanapuram C.Murugesan, chairman of the agitation committee and Thiru. Durai. Mathivanan, secretary of the committee that highlights the virtues of Sengipatti locale. .
In a statement here, they said that Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Thiru. Edapadi K. Palaniswami has told the Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a list of demands submitted to him (PM) when he (CM) met him in New Delhi in February this year that the proposed AIIMS should be set up only at Sengipatti near Thanjavur.
Again on Friday, he told presspersons at Tiruchy and at Pudukkottai that AIIMS would be set up in the place where former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa wanted it to be set up. “Jayalalithaa also announced that it would be set up at Sengipatti,” the committee members said, and appealed to the Central government to set up this institute of higher learning at Sengipatti.
“Prime Minister Narendra Modi should announce this soon” they demanded.
They also pointed out that a sum of Rs 200 crore had been allotted for establishing the institute two years back and a high level expert committee also visited Sengipatti in 2015 to identify the land.
A total of 206 acres of land, 24 hours drinking water supply, road and rail connectivity, an International airport at Tiruchy, which can be reached in 40 minutes from Sengipatti, and supporting Medical institutions like Thanjavur Medical college, Rajah Mirasudhar Government Hospital are also available at Thanjavur, they pointed out.
