AIIMS Awantipora To Be Operational By 2026 End: CM

Srinagar- Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Monday said the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) coming up at Awantipora in Pulwama district is likely to be fully functional by the end of 2026.

Speaking to reporters during his visit to the under-construction campus, Omar said that after initial delays, the pace of work has picked up and the institute is expected to start OPD services and MBBS classes by April next year, with the IPD (In-Patient Department) becoming fully operational by November–December 2026.

“The director and CPWD officials supervising the work have assured me about these timelines,” he said.

Addressing the reasons for the delay, Omar said the hospital's location was chosen without proper feasibility checks and political considerations influenced the site selection. Soon after finalizing the project, security concerns raised by the Army delayed it by nearly a year, requiring revisions to the Detailed Project Report (DPR) and leading to cost escalation.“The project lost valuable time in the initial stage due to these complications,” he added.

Despite the early setbacks, Omar said work over the past year has gained momentum, and he expressed hope that the project would be completed within revised timelines.

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