At a time when the State government is going ahead with land acquisition from private individuals for setting up an All-India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Kinalur in Kozhikode, a demand purportedly made by K.V. Thomas, State’s special representative in New Delhi, seeking the facility for Kasaragod, has led to some confusion.
Mr. Thomas reportedly made the demand in a letter to Mansukh Mandaviya, Union Health Minister, during a meeting in the national capital on Tuesday. According to sources, the letter referred to Kasaragod and Kozhikode as the possible locations for AIIMS. Media reports quoting the letter also said that the government had identified land in Kasaragod, which is around 25 km from Mangaluru in neighbouring Karnataka, for the project.
However, Mr. Thomas later came up with a clarification that he had just referred to an earlier demand made by the State government. The former MP also pointed out that the State government had already fixed Kinalur as the location for AIIMS in Kerala. Mr. Thomas claimed that Mr. Mandaviya would soon contact Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to discuss the proposal. He expressed confidence that the Centre would come up with a positive response in another three months.
Meanwhile, the State government has already set in motion the process to acquire around 250 acres to set up the institute at Kinalur. Around 150 acres under the Department of Industries had been handed over to the Directorate of Medical Education under the Health department. Social impact assessment study for the remaining land to be acquired had been completed as well. This is in Kinalur and Kanthalad villages. The Revenue department is reportedly fast-tracking steps for valuation of this land and notifying it under provisions of Section 11(1) of the Right to Fair Compensation and Transparency in Land Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Resettlement Act, 2013. The Union government, however, is yet to make any final announcement on the project.
