Srinagar, Nov 05 (HS): Union Health and Family Welfare Minister J.P. Nadda on Thursday visited the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Awantipora in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district and reviewed the progress of construction. The project has been delayed for years and has missed several deadlines. Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Sakina Itoo said outpatient department (OPD) services at the campus will start very soon.

Government officials and engineers working on the project briefed Nadda on the progress of work and took him through all the blocks. He also toured the campus. Itoo and several local BJP leaders were present.

Itoo said Nadda made a detailed visit and reviewed the construction work. According to her, the Union Minister said 100 MBBS students would be admitted to the campus, and he directed that AIIMS be made operational as early as possible. She said Nadda is taking a personal interest in the project and has visited it several times over the past two years.

According to AIIMS Executive Director Prof Sachidananda Mohanty, OPD services could begin next month, and the retrofitted hospital building would be ready for patient services by the end of this month.

BJP workers welcomed Nadda on his arrival at the campus. Before entering, he met the workers waiting near the main gate and thanked them for greeting him with flowers. They raised slogans such as “BJP Zindabad”, “Nadda Sahib, qadam badhao, hum tumhare saath hain” and “Welcome Nadda Sahib”.

AIIMS Awantipora is being built under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) as a 750-bed hospital. Its revised estimated cost is over Rs 2,160 crore, against the originally sanctioned cost of Rs 1,828 crore. The Union Cabinet approved the project in January 2019.

According to the AIIMS administration, the campus has 57 buildings. Phase-II works are targeted for completion by the end of November, and major Phase-III works by June 2027. In September 2025, Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the institute would be fully functional by the end of 2026.

Local residents spoke to reporters about their hopes for the project. “AIIMS in Awantipora was a dream for the people here,” one resident said. “Earlier we had to travel very far for treatment, sometimes even outside Kashmir. Its opening will bring us great relief. Different departments will open, which will not only bring treatment close to home but could also create jobs for local people.”

He added: “This was a hilly site and the work was not easy, but I am very happy that the AIIMS buildings are now ready. There was a delay, but we are happy that we finally have our own AIIMS.”

A group of residents said: “Though several completion deadlines have passed, Nadda ji’s visit has given us hope that our AIIMS will start functioning very soon. AIIMS has its own identity and offers hope for treating any illness. Having it in our area means a great deal to us.”

They said patients from the area had to go to Delhi and other cities for treatment, but will no longer have to travel so far. “It will benefit not only south Kashmir but also people in Jammu’s Pir Panjal and Chenab regions, besides central and north Kashmir,” they said.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Zahoor Hussain Bhat