DARBHANGA, Nov. 2 -- The proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Darbhanga has moved a step closer to becoming a reality, with HSCC (India) Limited inviting e-tenders for the construction of its hospital, academic block, residential campus and allied infrastructure at an estimated cost of Rs.1,549.25 crore. HSCC, a subsidiary of NBCC (India) Limited and a Government of India enterprise, has issued the notice inviting e-bids on behalf of the Union ministry of health and family welfare. The project will be executed on an Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) basis, with maintenance during the defect liability period also included in the contract. The stipulated completion period is 30 months, including two months for planning, designing and obtaining necessary approvals, followed by 28 months for construction. The online tender process commenced on October 28, 2026, and the last date for submission of bids is November 27, 2026, by 3pm. The development marks a major milestone for the long-pending project, which is expected to provide advanced tertiary healthcare facilities to people across north Bihar and neighbouring regions, reducing their dependence on hospitals in distant cities. Dr Madhbananda Kar, executive director of AIIMS Darbhanga, said the project was finally set to take shape after overcoming several hurdles. "My vision for patient-friendly infrastructure has also been incorporated into the tender specifications. The institute will fulfil a long-standing healthcare need of people in north Bihar," he said. Explaining the delay in the project, Darbhanga MP Gopal Jee Thakur said technical requirements and changes in site conditions had necessitated substantial modifications to the design, engineering plans and detailed project report (DPR). He said the Union Budget 2015 had given in-principle approval for setting up a second AIIMS in Bihar. However, the proposal remained stalled due to the non-availability of suitable land. After his election to the Lok Sabha in 2019, he pursued the establishment of the institute in Darbhanga. The Union Cabinet subsequently approved the project in September 2020 at an estimated cost of Rs.1,264 crore, with a proposed capacity of 750 beds. According to Thakur, the overall estimated project expenditure has since increased by Rs.741.88 crore from the original approval, taking the revised cost to over Rs.2,000 crore. The Rs.1,549.25-crore tender covers the construction of the main AIIMS infrastructure. He added that construction of a boundary wall measuring around 5.5 km along the perimeter of the 184-acre campus was underway at a cost of Rs.37 crore. ....