DARBHANGA, Dec. 2 -- Nearly a decade after it was first announced - and across two Lok Sabha and three Assembly elections - the first clear signs of construction for the proposed All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Darbhanga have finally begun to emerge. An under-construction boundary wall is now visible from the Shobhan-Ekmi bypass, along with the skeletal structure of its entrance gate.

The long-awaited project had seen little progress due to repeated procedural delays, land-related complications, relocation from the Darbhanga Medical College and Hospital (DMCH) campus to Shobhan, and multiple administrative hurdles. Prime Minister Narendra Modi performed the bhumi pujan for the project on November 13, 2024, raising hope...