‘Jammu is emerging as India’s educational hub: Dr Shakti Gupta:
Ahmed Ali Fayyaz
JAMMU: With the establishment of a number of higher education and professional institutes in the last 10 years, Jammu is emerging as a mini-hub of education in India. The Government of India is subsequently working on a plan to connect all such institutions from Nagrota to Vijaypur through a Metro rail link.
The founder-director and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the AIIMS Jammu (Vijaypur), Dr Shakti Kumar Gupta, revealed in a conservation with this journalist that his proposal of a seamless connectivity between the cluster of the educational institutions in Jammu was now under the active consideration of the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Development.
“In the last few years, a grid of educational institutes has come up in Jammu. These include IIM, IIT, Cluster University, Central University Jammu and now AIIMS Vijaypur. While we were completing the constructions at AIIMS, I requested the honourable MP Jugal Kishore ji to raise the issue of the seamless connectivity between our higher education centres in the Parliament”, Dr Shakti Gupta said.
“Thereafter, I personally met with the then Union Minister of Housing and Urban Development Mr Hardeep Puri and convinced him about the need for Metro connectivity. He gave me a positive assurance. I am sure that the same is now under the active consideration of the concerned departments in the incumbent government”, Dr Gupta added.
Dr Gupta said that the original plan of the construction of Metro rail link was limited between Nagrota and Bari Brahmna. “I have reasons to believe that the Metro would be extended to Vijaypur to include AIIMS. Once completed, it will provide a seamless connectivity, linking all the major educational centres”, he asserted.
Dr Gupta said that the 750-bed hospital of 50 super specialty departments would become fully functional after the acquisition of all machinery and equipment, recruitment of faculty and other staff and all services within a year or so. He said that the hospital had started working with 125 bed capacity in August 2024. In the current month, a total of 250 beds were made operative. According to him, it would be fully functional within a year.
While the national highway, connecting Jammu and Delhi, passes through the middle of AIIMS Jammu at Vijaypur, the Jammu-Delhi rail link passes through its east side. Authorities have also constructed a helipad for quick delivery of trauma patients meeting accidents on the highway. It would be particularly helpful to the security forces personnel suffering casualties in terror attacks and counterinsurgency operations across the Union Territory and on the International Border and the LoC.
