TN: AIIMS Madurai Remains Non-Starter, First Batch May Not Pass Out From Campus Premises

The foundation stone for the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Madurai was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on January 27, 2019. Four years down the line, the only structure that remains in the site at Thoppur is a compound wall. 

The first batch of classes to the students admitted in the institute began in April 2022, but with the construction expected to be completed by 2026, the first batch students may not even study for a day in their institute’s campus.  Given the present progress of construction, the works may take more time than expected. 

Demanding the speedy completion of work, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) or CPI-M held a massive protest in Madurai on January 24. The protestors held single bricks with AIIMS written on it to expose the sluggishness in the construction works. 

The party’s alliance partners, including Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and peoples representatives, led by CPI-M’s Madurai MP S Venkatesan slammed the Union government led by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for the inordinate delay in completing the works. 
 

ANNOUNCED IN FEBRUARY 2015

The demand for AIIMS at Madurai was raised by P Mohan, a two-time CPI-M MP. During the budget speech in February 2015, late Arun Jaitley, the then finance minister, announced the setting up of AIIMS in five states,, including Tamil Nadu for which cabinet approval was provided in 2018.  

Leading Tuesday’s protest, S Venkatesan, the Madurai MP said: “AIIMS Madurai was announced in phase V. Further AIIMS hospitals were announced in phases VI, VII and VIII. But only AIIMS in Madurai is still a non-starter”.

He went on to add that most of the AIIMS announced have made considerable progress, including construction works. The website of the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) gives details of the AIIMS announced in different phases.

The status of AIIMS Madurai includes: “Appointment of PMC (project management consultant) in process and Loan agreement signed with Japan International Cooperation Agency signed on March 26, 2021”. 

“The Union government has given a number of reasons in the past 3.5 years the tenure of the present Lok Sabha. I have raised questions about its status in Parliament several times. On 17 different occasions, the issue was raised in Parliament and during the meeting with the Union minister”, Venkatesan said.

Leaders of CPI(M), DMK, Congress and other people’s representatives protesting with bricks with AIIMS written on it.

The AIIMS would cater to the needs of the people of all the Southern districts of the state. MPs, Manickam Tagore from Virudhunagar, Nawas Ghani from Ramanathapuram and Kanimozhi Karunanidhi from Thoothukudi have also raised the issue in Parliament.
 

‘WILL THE STUDENTS STUDY IN THE CAMPUS?’

The first batch of students admitted to AIIMS Madurai is getting education in Government Medical College Hospital, Ramanathapuram. Given the delay in even the beginning of works and the frequent shifting of deadlines, the first batch may not get to study in the campus.

“The first batch students will be completing their M.B.B.S course in 2026. But the construction would be completed by the end of 2026. These students won't even get a chance to enter the campus”, Venkatesan said during the protest. 

Notably, 86% construction work in AIIMS Deoghar, Jharkhand, announced in phase VI, is completed while 60% construction work in AIIMS Samba in Jammu, announced in phase V, is done.

A section of the participants of the protest held in Madurai.

The delay in signing agreement with JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency) and revised estimates are cited as primary reasons for the work being held up. From the initial estimate of Rs 1,264 crore, the present estimated cost of the institute has gone up to Rs 1,997 crore.

“The government has announced to have sanctioned Rs 2.5 crore for administrative works. But with the tender for the blueprint of the campus set to be called for in March 2023, when will the campus be ready for the students”, asked K Balakrishnan, state secretary of CPI-M.

The construction works can start only after the management calls for the global tenders after the approval. 

Balakrishnan also questioned the intention behind getting into a loan agreement with JICA instead of fund allocation by the Union government. “What is the crime committed by the people of Tamil Nadu for the BJP government to deny allocation for the construction”, he added. 

The Union government will spare only 18% of the total budget while the JICA will lend the remaining 82%, as per a Right to Information reply. 

Recently, BJP national president J P Nadda claimed that 95% works in the Madurai campus were completed, much to the shock of many. Venkatesan and Tagore condemned the misleading statement and even visited the campus area to expose the false claims made by the BJP.