SAHARSA: Members of an all-party action committee staged a daylong dharna in front of the office of the Kosi commissioner on Thursday, demanding establishment of a branch of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here.The committee has threatened to intensify its agitation if the AIIMS branch for north Bihar, which has been approved by the Centre, is not established at Saharsa which “fulfils all the criteria and pre-conditions laid down by the Centre”.According to sources, the district administration has already offered requisite land for the construction of the AIIMS branch. In response to a letter issued by the health department on February 29, 2016, the Saharsa administration sent a proposal to the state government on August 26 last year, offering nearly 52 acres of government land and 167 acres of “raiyati” land for the construction of the AIIMS branch.Three committee members – Binod Kumar Jha, Ritesh Ranjan and Praveen Anand – said Saharsa deserved AIIMS as it fulfilled all the conditions laid down by the Centre. “The land at Gobargarha village under Sattar Kataiya block, which has been identified for construction of AIIMS branch, is never affected by flood. It is located just two kilometres away from the Saharsa airport and three kilometres from Saharsa railway station,” they said.Rajya Sabha MP from RJD Manoj Jha has also supported the demand for AIIMS branch at Saharsa. “Union health minister J P Nadda is awaiting a proposal in this regard from the state government. The ball is now in the court of the state government. We hope that with NDA in power at the Centre as well as in state, the AIIMS branch will come up at Saharsa. I will meet the chief minister soon to discuss the issue,” Jha added.

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