- Tanu Bulo, Arunachal Pradesh
The All Arunachal Abo Tani Association ( AAATA) has objected to the proposed second medical college in Arunachal Pradesh which is slated to be constructed at Namsai district.
In this regard, the union has written a letter addressed to Arunachal Chief Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Minister, Alo Libang, and Arunachal Health Secretary. The union in the letter claims the proposed area for medical college as well as the whole of Namsai district falls under Forest Reserve Areas. The union further claims various illegal development activities are going on unabated in these reserved areas without obtaining requisite Forest Clearance, which they consider as totally illegal.
The union has therefore requested the concerned stakeholders to shift the proposed college from Namsai to any other suitable area under the territorial jurisdiction of Arunachal Pradesh to save the flora and fauna of the state from further destruction.
Notably, the news of the second medical college at Namsai was largely welcomed by the people of the state. The good news was revealed when a team led by Arunachal’s Health and Family Welfare Minister Alo Libang called on Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya at his New Delhi office on August 3. The union minister had positively responded to the request of the team Arunachal.
At present, Arunachal has only one medical college- Tomo Riba Institute Of Health and Medical Sciences (TRIHMS) at Naharlagun, near Itanagar. The Institute was established in 2017 and the academic session was started on 1st August 2018.