GUWAHATI, July 12 - Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday visited the site of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Changsari in Kamrup district and took stock of the progress of construction. He held a meeting with officials of the construction firm engaged in building the institution.
During the meeting, the Chief Minister was apprised that the first stage of construction would be completed within the stipulated deadline of June 2021, and the second stage would be completed within June 2022.
On being informed that many of the skilled labourers from outside the state had gone back to their native places due to the COVID-19 induced lockdown, Sonowal directed the construction firm to engage local labourers to fill up the requirement. He urged the firm to tap the human resources in the form of the state�s youths who have returned from various places because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Chief Minister directed departments like PWD, PHED, APDCL, etc., to extend full cooperation in the construction. He also reviewed the status of installation of power substations, drainage layout for releasing storm water coming down from the nearby hills, provision for drinking water, and emergency response system like fire outbreak management. He emphasised on the need for having a state-of-the-art control room.
Highlighting the beautiful landscape surrounding the site, he directed the construction firm to make it one of the most beautiful AIIMS campuses in the country so that tourists feel attracted to visit it.
Of the total project cost of more than Rs 1,200 crore, an amount of Rs 757 crore has been released by the Central government for the construction.
Sonowal thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi and erstwhile Union Health Minister JP Nadda for granting such a prestigious institution to Assam. Once completed, it will transform Assam into a medical hub in not only the North East but the entire South East Asia, he said.
He also appreciated Health Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma for constantly monitoring and supervising the construction work and thanked the local people of Changsari for extending help and cooperation. He said people from the state would not need to go outside for better medical facilities as AIIMS would enable them to get super-speciality treatment of various diseases in the state itself.
Himanta Biswa Sarma, Principal Secretary (Health) Sameer Kumar Sinha, Kamrup Deputy Commissioner Kailash Karthik N, Superintendent of Police Partha Sarathi Mahanta accompanied the Chief Minister.