Sambalpur: In a sharp rebuttal amid ongoing political sparring over regional development, Sambalpur district president of BJD Rohit Pujari on Friday strongly countered statements made by BJP national spokesperson Ajay Alok regarding establishment of AIIMS in the western Odisha town.
Pujari termed it as false and misleading. He further argued that such statements were an effort to take undue credit for a long-pending demand without any tangible progress on the ground.
While hailing Union Budget as ‘historic and inclusive’ during a press briefing here on February 11, the BJP leader stated that the Centre was actively pursuing the project and asserted that the state government would soon allocate land for the same. He also highlighted infrastructure initiatives, including a bypass highway and flyover, giving credit to the double-engine government and vision of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, also the Sambalpur MP.
The former Rairakhol MLA, in a video message, stressed that the 2025-2026 Union Budget makes no reference to AIIMS-Sambalpur. “He is hoodwinking the simple people of Sambalpur into believing in something that has no basis in reality,” he alleged.
Pujari also questioned the justification for allocating 1,000 acres to the proposed AIIMS. “Every existing AIIMS has been established on plots ranging from 100 to 200 acres. I fail to understand why they are seeking 1,000 acres here. It would have been helpful had he elaborated on how they plan to develop such a vast area,” he noted.
Citing Bihar as proof of the Centre’s indifference, the BJD leader said that the second AIIMS for the state was announced in the 2015-16 Union Budget and its foundation stone was laid in November 2024 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Recently, a photo of the proposed AIIMs went viral, showing that only a gate has been constructed so far. This vividly illustrates the Centre’s commitment to balanced regional development,” he charged, questioning whether AIIMS-Sambalpur will ever actually materialise.
At present, one AIIMS is functional at Bhubaneswar.
