A final decision will, however, be taken only after a team of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare visits the site, 25 km from Kozhikode city. According to Kerala Health Minister Veena George, who visited the site, Kinalur, near Balussery in Kozhikode district, the Union Government is set to clear the long-standing proposal. She said nearly 150-200 acres of land is in the possession of Kerala State industrial Development Corporation (KSIDC) on the Kinalur industrial estate, adding that another 100 acres of land would have to be acquired. The district collector has already been asked to look into the process of acquisition. Procedures such as demarcation of land have been completed to a large extent.

It may be mentioned that a three-member committee headed by Health Secretary, Rajan Khobragade has given a favourable report that the Kinalur site is ideal for setting up the AIIMS after visiting Kinalur a few months ago.

In case the proposal fructifies, Kinalur would become a hub for treatment facilities, studies and medical research. The Centre has been told that the State would ensure all facilities, including infrastructure, transportation facilities, power connections and other utility services for the project. Kinalur, reports have it, already has a sub-station of the Kerala State Electricity Board. The town has also been linked by the Japan-aided drinking water scheme.

The Government had identified, a few years ago, four locations for setting up the AIIMS: They are: the jail compound at Nettukaltheri in Thiruvananthapuram district, land at Kinalur, land owned by the Government Medical College at Kottayam and the Hindustan Machine Tools (HMT) land at Kalamasseri in Ernakulam district. The move came in the wake of the announcement by the first Narendra Modi Government at the Centre to set up AIIMS-type institutes in as many as 10 States. Incidentally, Kerala is one of the major states which is not on the list of AIIMS under the Pradhan Mantri Swasthya Suraksha Yojana (PMSSY) scheme.

The proposed AIIMS at Kinalur would be a dream come true for the State, which has taken significant strides in the Health sector. It would be of immense benefit, particularly to six districts in the Malabar region. The establishment of the AIIMS would create hundreds of job opportunities. The first phase of the project would see the creation of outpatient facilities, followed by the introduction of MBBS and post-graduate courses in a phased manner.

In another significant development which would go a long way to allay the misgivings and fears of potential investors in the state, the Kerala High Court has asked the State police chief to register cases for extortion as well as offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) against workers and trade union leaders who demand ‘Nokkukooli (a practice of headload workers demanding wages for unloading even if the job is done by the owner!). That the HC has toughened its stance on the issue is clear from its direction to the police chief to circulate a letter to all police stations and the competent authority under the Kerala Headload Workers Act to act promptly on complaints of Nookukooli, which the Court has termed as extortion.

The High Court’s order came while disposing of a petition seeking police protection against the headload workers’ demand for ‘nokkukooli’. When the case came up for hearing, the Government submitted before the court the steps it has taken to end the pernicious practice. The Government said it would amend Kerala Headload Workers Act and give powers to competent authority under the Act to expel the workers who were identified as having demanded ‘nookkukooli’ and slap penalties on such persons. The High Court’s order must have come as a big relief for potential investors in particular and the people in general who have suffered for long for want of action against the extortion in blatant violation of established law. (IPA Service)