Rims-2 work resumes amid protests from villagers

Dhrubajyoti.Malakar@timesofindia.com

Ranchi: The construction of a boundary wall on the second campus of the Rajendra Institute of medical Sciences (Rims) commenced on Thursday in Kanke area of the city, amid protests from villagers over land acquisition to set up the hospital.

A section of residents in the Nagri area have been protesting the construction for over a year claiming their ownership on the land and demanding due compensation against the land. They have been alleging the govt of illegally acquiring their rights.

The construction work resumed amid the deployment of security personnel to manage any untoward situation. “There was sufficient number of personnel deployed. There was not much opposition from the villagers to the work except for a group of 30 -40 people. Moreover, all land owners whose land was acquired for the project have already been compensated. The district administration has all the records of documents of the paid compensation. Also, as per a recent high court ruling on illegal encroachment around Rims, once land is acquired by the state, it is the state’s property, ” Ranchi DC Manjunath Bhajantri said.

He added that the district administration will carry out a survey in the village to assess the level of education and skills they acquired. “Based on that, job opportunities will be provided to the youth of the villagers’ families once the hospital is completed. A similar survey on various infrastructural gaps in the villages will be conducted as well, and all gaps will be fulfilled there,” the DC said.

The health department allotted 207 acres land for the Rs 1,074 crore Rims-2 project. It will feature a 700-bed hospital, with 200 to 250 beds dedicated to super speciality.
EOM