Alipurduar, July 8 -- The process of establishing a government medical college and an AYUSH Medical College in Alipurduar gathered momentum on Tuesday as a high-level team from the state Health Department inspected three shortlisted sites for the proposed institutions.

Senior Health Department officials, engineers, representatives of the West Bengal Medical Services Corporation, and district health authorities held a meeting at the district administrative headquarters, Dooars Kanya, before conducting field inspections. Alipurduar MLA Paritosh Das accompanied the delegation.

The team first visited the Ratneswar Jheel area on the outskirts of Alipurduar town, which is being considered for the proposed government medical college. It later inspected the existing AYUSH Hospital at Tapsikhata, where an AYUSH Medical College is proposed.

"The AYUSH Hospital will soon be upgraded into an AYUSH Medical College. Even after its establishment, more than 20 acres of land will remain available, while adjoining government land offers ample scope for future expansion of the proposed Alipurduar Medical College," Paritosh Das said. He added that the Railways also owns a large tract of land at Damanpur near

Alipurduar Junction, which will be inspected before a final decision is taken. According to the MLA, three potential sites have been identified, and the Health Department is assessing their technical and infrastructural feasibility before selecting the most suitable location.

After the new state government assumed office, Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari announced plans to establish a medical college in Alipurduar. The ongoing inspections mark the beginning of the land selection and infrastructure assessment process.

Under the National Medical Commission (NMC) guidelines, a medical college requires at least 25 acres of land. The affiliated teaching hospital must be located within a 10-kilometre radius and have at least 420 beds with an average annual occupancy of 80 per cent. The existing land at AYUSH Hospital is located within 10 kilometres of Alipurduar District Hospital, making the area a strong contender.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.