Day’s tour soon after Panchayat polls
Sanjeev Pargal
JAMMU, Nov 4: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay foundation stone for two All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in the State and four-laning of Jammu-Akhnoor National Highway, which will be further extended up to Rajouri and Poonch, during his day’s visit soon after completion of Panchayat elections in Jammu and Kashmir on December 11.
Work on two AIIMS in Jammu and Kashmir including one at Vijaypur in Samba district of Jammu and another at Awantipora in Pulwama district of Kashmir is yet to start though the projects were approved nearly three years back at the cost of Rs 4000 crore under Prime Minister’s Development Plan (PMDP).
Official sources told the Excelsior that exact date for inauguration of the projects by the Prime Minister will be worked out soon. However, the visit will mature soon after the culmination of process for nine-phase Panchayat elections on December 11 as the State was under Model Code of Conduct presently in view of the polls.
Though a final date is yet to be decided, the visit was likely to take place around December 15, sources said, adding that the Prime Minister will lay foundation stone of two AIIMS and four-laning of Jammu-Akhnoor road.
“All decks for laying foundation of these three major projects have been cleared,” sources said, adding that work on making Jammu-Akhnoor road a National Highway has already started.
Recently, the administration had removed final hurdle in starting work on AIIMS Jammu at Vijaypur by getting the land vacated from nomadic population and shifting them to alternate places. The bottlenecks in AIIMS Kashmir at Awantipora have almost been removed.
As per the proposal submitted to the Government of India, the two AIIMS will have a capacity of 1000 beds including 300 super specialty beds. Besides, the ambitious projects include a Medical College with an intake capacity of 100 students and a Nursing College with a capacity of 60 students annually.
The Central Government has kept Rs 4000 crore under PMDP for the two AIIMS i.e. Rs 2000 cr for each AIIMS. Some of the facilities to the AIIMS have to be provided by the State Government which included water and power facilities, construction of approach roads etc.
Initially, the Central Government had approved only one AIIMS for the State, which was taken to the Kashmir valley by then PDP-BJP Government headed by late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed, leading to massive agitation in Jammu prompting the Centre to sanction another AIIMS for Jammu.
Jammu-Akhnoor-Rajouri-Poonch National Highway was also approved under the PMDP at a cost of Rs 5100 crore. Initially, the work has been taken up on Jammu-Akhnoor Highway, the foundation of which will be formally laid by the Prime Minister. Sources said the work on remaining stretch of the National Highway from Akhnoor to Poonch via Nowshera and Rajouri will also be launched soon.
Sources said focus of the State Government was on four-laning of Jammu-Akhnoor road as this part of Jammu-Rajouri-Poonch Highway was facing major traffic congestions especially from Canal Road to Domana.
Meanwhile, the State unit president of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) president, Ravinder Raina has been called to New Delhi next week for meetings with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP national president Amit Shah for finalization of Modi’s tour in Jammu and Kashmir.
“The State unit of the BJP wants that apart from laying foundation stone of the new prestigious projects, Modi should also address the party workers meeting in Jammu,” sources said, adding that the Centre was yet to clear this programme of the Prime Minister.
Modi had visited all three regions of the State including Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh on May 19 and inaugurated Kishenganga power project in Kashmir, Tarakot Marg, an alternate track to Mata Vaishno Devi Ji shrine from Katra to Adh Kunwari and laid foundation stones of Zojila tunnel from Leh and Pakal Dul hydro-electric power project in Kishtwar from Jammu.
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