BHUBANESWAR: The state’s hope of having another AIIMS in Steel City, Rourkela, has been dashed with no provision for it in the Union budget. The then chief secretary, Asit Tripathy, had written to the Union health minister for setting up another AIIMS in Rourkela.
Before the Budget was tabled in Parliament, health observers had said the provision for a second AIIMS in Odisha would result in equal attention to all the regions as far as healthcare facilities were concerned. The one at Bhubaneswar is located in the capital city, which is already a health hub. Not only that, a 40km radius of the capital city has the best of hospitals, right from Cuttack up to Khurda. The top healthcare institutions are concentrated in one region.
“Another AIIMS should have come up either at Rourkela or somewhere between Bargarh and Balangir to cater to the poor of the region. The state government should sincerely press for it. In the next Budget, the Centre may consider having the second AIIMS somewhere in western Odisha,” R K Purohit, a senior doctor based in Bargarh, said.
In the 2020 Budget, the Centre had proposed to develop 100 new airports under its Udan scheme, which aims to strengthen regional air connectivity. However, no budgetary allocation has been made for the state’s promising and booming aviation sector this time. “The southern and south-western parts of the state are still very much neglected as far as air connectivity is concerned. We have infrastructure and land ready. The only thing we need to do is develop at least two to three more airports in the state. Unfortunately, the Union budget has no mention of boosting aviation in Odisha, which is an international tourist hub,” hotelier and aviation sector observer, Debashis Patnaik, said.
“The Centre has shown scant regard for the number one smart city of Bhubaneswar as far as funding is concerned. Smart city projects have been neglected not only in this Budget, but also in the previous two ones. As a result, many planned ambitious projects are getting delayed. The Centre is now laying greater emphasis on less carbon footprint from public transport instead of simply enhancing the beauty and aesthetic values of the city,” urban planner Piyush Rout said.