Bhubaneswar: The civic body has passed a resolution to include the area, where the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) is located, into its own boundary.

After the inclusion, about 436 acres, including the Shijua area where the institute has come up, will come within the Bhubaneswar Municipal Corporation (BMC) limits.

The civic body will now install street lights, construct roads and drains and provide more city bus facility to the area.

The Telegraph had on several occasions reported about the problems faced by the people around AIIMS due to its non-inclusion in the civic boundary. Former AIIMS director Ashok Kumar Mahapatra as well as the present chief, Gitanjali Batmanabane, had apprised the government of the problems.

"We are happy that the government has finally taken note of the problems faced by our employees and the people living around the area. I hope the civic body will take all-round efforts to provide better services to the people here," said an AIIMS administrator.

Mayor Ananta Narayan Jena said they had taken efforts to include AIIMS in their area in the past to extend better civic services to the people, but there was specific administrative procedure to do the same. "The panchayat had given a no-objection, after which the district administration prepared the papers. Now after the issuance of the final notification on Tuesday, the area is included," said Jena.

Patients visiting the institute also heaved a sigh of relief at the development. "Since AIIMS provides better health care services in affordable manner, more people are visiting it. We hope that better roads, street lights and other amenities will boast the facilities for the people here," said Hitesh Mehta, a patient's attendant from Cuttack.

Moreover, the area had become criminals' den due to defunct street lights and inadequate police patrolling. "With adequate management of the infrastructure, we hope that criminal activities will be curbed," said a paramedic of the institute.

Besides, with the inclusion of Shijua in the civic boundary, the corporation would increase its number of wards to at least 70 from the present 67. Sources said it was a usual process before the urban local body elections every five years. The civic body election is scheduled next year.