AIIMS-Madurai gets environmental clearance from Tamil Nadu’s State appraisal panel
In its 466th meeting held on May 10, the SEAC recommended the environmental clearance with conditions, including compliance with green building norms and achieving minimum IGBC gold ratings.
AIIMS-Madurai
CHENNAI: The State Expert Appraisal Committee (SEAC) has granted environmental clearance for the construction of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Madurai. The built-up area will be 2,31,782 square meters on a total plot area of 222.47 acres.
In its 466th meeting held on May 10, the SEAC recommended the environmental clearance with conditions, including compliance with green building norms and achieving minimum IGBC gold ratings.
The project proponent is required to install and maintain bio-digesters to transform organic waste into biogas for use in the hospital, canteen, and kitchen. Additionally, the committee directed the proponent to establish an Advanced Burns Life Support Centre to provide special care on a 24x7 basis for the "fireworks-manufacturing" areas of Sivakasi and Virudhunagar.
The project must adhere to a zero-liquid discharge policy and comply with the Bio-Medical Waste Management Rules. The SEAC also mandated the utilisation of solar energy on 50 per cent of the roof area and partial fulfilment of the hot water requirement with solar water heaters. The project proponent is also directed to provide sufficient electric vehicle charging points as per ground-level requirements.
The proposed AIIMS Madurai at Thoppur will include the construction of a hospital, trauma centre facilities, medical college, residential complexes, student hostels, and allied facilities. The inpatient bed capacity will be 900.
The institution will have 42 building blocks covering 2.31 lakh sq m, including a hospital building of 1.29 lakh sq m, academic building of 70,990 sq m, and staff quarters of 25,756 sq m. The maximum number of floors will be ground plus 12.
The project envisions a green cover spread over 2,33,428 sq m, which is 25.93 per cent of the total plot, with the planting of 3,895 saplings and 91 transplanted trees.
The project is funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) through its Official Development Assistance (ODA) loan. The revised estimated cost of the project is Rs 1,978 crore, with Rs 1,621 crore covered by the JICA loan and the remaining through budgetary support. A loan agreement with JICA was signed on March 26, 2021.
The Union Health Ministry has proposed establishing the new AIIMS at Thoppur. Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone for the project way back on January 27, 2019, but the preliminary construction work began only in March this year.
