Kolkata, Oct 29 (PTI) West Bengal Chief Secretary Manoj Agarwal on Thursday urged the Centre to consider setting up an AIIMS at Raiganj in Uttar Dinajpur district, identifying around 180 acres of land for the proposed institution.
In a letter to Union Health and Family Welfare Secretary Punya Salila Srivastava, Agarwal requested the Centre to initiate the process for examining the proposal, stating that the institution would significantly strengthen tertiary healthcare infrastructure in north Bengal and adjoining areas.
The proposed facility would improve access to specialised and super-speciality medical services for people in north Bengal, as well as neighbouring parts of Bihar and the Northeast, he said.
"It would also reduce the need for patients and their families to travel long distances for advanced treatment while enhancing the state's capacity for medical education, training and research," Agarwal said.
The state government has identified around 180 acres at Raiganj and offered to share details of the site with the Union Health Ministry for a preliminary assessment of its suitability.
The state is also willing to facilitate a visit by a technical team and coordinate with the ministry on the necessary preparatory steps, he said.
Agarwal requested the Centre to examine the proposal on a priority basis, adding that an early technical assessment of the site would help advance the process and clarify any additional requirements.
Earlier in the day, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced that the state government would send a proposal to the Centre for setting up its second AIIMS at Diknagar in Raiganj and a full-fledged cancer hospital in Siliguri.
Addressing a public service delivery programme at Teesta Maidan in Karnajora, following an administrative review meeting in Raiganj, Adhikari said the state government would send a proposal to the Centre for setting up the AIIMS at Diknagar in the Uttar Dinajpur district town.
"The West Bengal government has decided to send a proposal to the Centre for setting up an AIIMS at Diknagar in Raiganj," he said.
"If all the formalities are completed, I will visit Diknagar for the bhoomi pujan ceremony along with the Union Health Minister," the chief minister said.
An AIIMS is already operational at Kalyani in Nadia district, and the proposed facility at Raiganj would be the second such institute in the state.
The proposal to establish an AIIMS-like institution in Raiganj dates back to the tenure of former Congress leader Priya Ranjan Dasmunsi, who represented the constituency in the Lok Sabha and served as a Union minister. The Centre had approved an AIIMS-like institution for Raiganj in 2008, following efforts to bring a premier medical facility to the region.
Around 100 acres of land at Sitgram in the Panishala area, along the old National Highway-34, was identified for the project. However, the proposal failed to progress amid delays over land acquisition. The project was subsequently shifted to Kalyani in Nadia.
The Congress had accused the then TMC government, led by Mamata Banerjee, of deliberately failing to pursue the Raiganj project, and shifting it to Kalyani to deny the party credit for bringing a premier medical institution to the state.
Setting up an AIIMS in north Bengal was among the BJP's promises during the assembly election campaign.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah had promised to establish an AIIMS in the region while campaigning in April, along with a broader revamp of healthcare services.
