Farmers of the Panishala village under Shitgram panchayat of North Dinajpur have expressed their willingness to provide land for an AIIMS-like hospital in north Bengal following a recent announcement by chief minister Suvendu Adhikari.
Last Saturday, speaking to the media in Nabanna, Suvendu announced that the state would send a written proposal to the Centre for setting up an AIIMS in north Bengal.
“We were eager to see the AIIMS coming up on our land," said Md Tasim, a local farmer. "Earlier, because of political complications, the project was shifted to Kalyani. The new government has planned an AIIMS again. This time, we want the government to consider our location, Panishala, and we are ready to part with our land."
Back in 2008, the then UPA government at the Centre announced an AIIMS-like hospital in Raiganj. A budget of ₹823 crore was allocated for the proposed 960-bed hospital, and the state government was asked to arrange 100 acres of land.
At the time, a team led by then district magistrate Sukumar Bhattacharya identified the land near Panishala, a village located around 6km from the district headquarters along NH12.
A team from the Union health ministry inspected the site and approved it. Locals agreed to part with their land.
However, political disputes over land acquisition delayed the project during both the Left Front regime and later under the Trinamool Congress government after 2011.
Former Congress MP Deepa Das Munshi strongly advocated for land acquisition for the hospital, and nearly 90 landowners from the area had voluntarily agreed to provide land.
Despite repeated demands, the project was eventually shifted to Kalyani after the state government provided land there.
The issue resurfaced during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections when Union home minister Amit Shah promised an AIIMS for north Bengal while campaigning in Raiganj. The BJP mentioned the project in its manifesto released ahead of the 2026 Assembly elections.
Barsed Ali, another resident of Panishala, said North Dinajpur remains backward in terms of healthcare facilities.
“The proposed location (in Panishala) is geographically ideal, and is almost equidistant from Calcutta and Cooch Behar. It would largely benefit the entire north Bengal region and also neighbouring Bihar. Most importantly, farmers and other landowners are ready to provide land for the project,” said Ali.
Kaushik Chowdhury, the BJP MLA from Raiganj, said he urged the chief minister to see to it that the proposed hospital is set up near Raiganj town.
“I have personally appealed to the chief minister to establish the hospital in Raiganj,” said the MLA.