RTI reveals truth behind AIIMS Darbhanga, the medical college with only a gate
Even after 11 years since the announcement of AIIMS Darbhanga and a year and a half since the foundation stone was laid, construction of the main hospital and academic block has not yet begun. The project budget has increased by 59 per cent to Rs 2,006 crore, but not even 1 per cent of this amount has been spent.
It has been a decade since the announcement of Bihar's second AIIMS and six years since Darbhanga was selected as its location where it stands with only a gate.
Meanwhile, an RTI response obtained by India Today.in has raised serious questions about the construction status of the proposed project. The biggest question concerns the “main gate”, which has become the face of the project's failures even before the hospital has been built.
In response to an RTI filed by India Today.in seeking details of expenditure and approvals related to the main entrance, HSCC Ltd, the government company appointed for the construction work of AIIMS Darbhanga, said the work is still “under process” and that “there is no separate tender or approval letter for the main entrance.”
Over time, the gate itself became a symbol of the project’s continued delays. While construction of the main hospital building, academic blocks, and residential infrastructure has yet to begin, the gate remains the most recognisable structure associated with the proposed AIIMS.
This RTI response has now raised fresh questions, as it suggests that the gate itself was neither separately approved nor independently tendered.
Notably, the response from HSCC does not clarify who conceived or approved the gate structure that eventually became the focus of political and public discourse around AIIMS Darbhanga.
ANNOUNCED IN 2015, APPROVED IN 2020
AIIMS Darbhanga was announced in 2015 as Bihar’s second AIIMS after Patna, and was seen as a major healthcare boost for the Mithila region.
The project received Union Cabinet approval in 2020, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone on November 13, 2024.
The institute, proposed to be built on more than 187 acres of land, was initially sanctioned at Rs 1,264 crore. However, according to a recent RTI response, the revised project cost has now increased to Rs 2,006 crore, a rise of nearly 59 per cent from the original estimate.
KEY INFRASTRUCTURE WORK YET TO BEGIN
The RTI response also revealed that construction work on key infrastructure components has not yet started. Responding to questions about the status of the hospital building, academic blocks, residential complex, and other facilities, HSCC stated that “these works will only commence after approvals are received.”
This response indicates that despite the foundation stone laying ceremony and repeated public references to the project, major civil construction work is still awaiting approval.
HSCC has said that AIIMS Darbhanga is expected to become operational in July 2029. According to the RTI response, expenditure incurred so far includes Rs 21.33 lakh during the financial year 2024–25 and Rs 19.18 crore during the financial year 2025–26.
In total, around Rs 19.39 crore has been spent so far, which is less than 1 per cent of the revised project cost of Rs 2,006 crore.
With key infrastructure projects still pending approval and less than 1 per cent of the revised cost spent so far, the July 2029 deadline is bound to face serious scrutiny, especially as questions grow over whether this ambitious healthcare project will actually become operational within the next three years.
It has been a decade since the announcement of Bihar's second AIIMS and six years since Darbhanga was selected as its location where it stands with only a gate.
Meanwhile, an RTI response obtained by India Today.in has raised serious questions about the construction status of the proposed project. The biggest question concerns the “main gate”, which has become the face of the project's failures even before the hospital has been built.
In response to an RTI filed by India Today.in seeking details of expenditure and approvals related to the main entrance, HSCC Ltd, the government company appointed for the construction work of AIIMS Darbhanga, said the work is still “under process” and that “there is no separate tender or approval letter for the main entrance.”
Over time, the gate itself became a symbol of the project’s continued delays. While construction of the main hospital building, academic blocks, and residential infrastructure has yet to begin, the gate remains the most recognisable structure associated with the proposed AIIMS.
This RTI response has now raised fresh questions, as it suggests that the gate itself was neither separately approved nor independently tendered.
Notably, the response from HSCC does not clarify who conceived or approved the gate structure that eventually became the focus of political and public discourse around AIIMS Darbhanga.
ANNOUNCED IN 2015, APPROVED IN 2020
AIIMS Darbhanga was announced in 2015 as Bihar’s second AIIMS after Patna, and was seen as a major healthcare boost for the Mithila region.
The project received Union Cabinet approval in 2020, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone on November 13, 2024.
The institute, proposed to be built on more than 187 acres of land, was initially sanctioned at Rs 1,264 crore. However, according to a recent RTI response, the revised project cost has now increased to Rs 2,006 crore, a rise of nearly 59 per cent from the original estimate.
KEY INFRASTRUCTURE WORK YET TO BEGIN
The RTI response also revealed that construction work on key infrastructure components has not yet started. Responding to questions about the status of the hospital building, academic blocks, residential complex, and other facilities, HSCC stated that “these works will only commence after approvals are received.”
This response indicates that despite the foundation stone laying ceremony and repeated public references to the project, major civil construction work is still awaiting approval.
HSCC has said that AIIMS Darbhanga is expected to become operational in July 2029. According to the RTI response, expenditure incurred so far includes Rs 21.33 lakh during the financial year 2024–25 and Rs 19.18 crore during the financial year 2025–26.
In total, around Rs 19.39 crore has been spent so far, which is less than 1 per cent of the revised project cost of Rs 2,006 crore.
With key infrastructure projects still pending approval and less than 1 per cent of the revised cost spent so far, the July 2029 deadline is bound to face serious scrutiny, especially as questions grow over whether this ambitious healthcare project will actually become operational within the next three years.
