“About Kashmir’s AIIMS & CUK? Did politically motivated site selection became the reason of their permanent campuses seen nowhere after 10 and 17 years respectively. And their counterparts in Jammu are operating from their brand new campuses since years.”
In the discourse on regional development and nation-building, infrastructure is often wielded as both a promise and proof of state attention. Yet, when the selection of locations for key public institutions is marred by politics rather than prudence, progress becomes hostage to geography, governance. Two case studies from Jammu and Kashmir—the Central University of Kashmir (CUK) and AIIMS Kashmir—stand as cautionary tales of how political expediency, rather than merit or feasibility, dictated the fate of generational infrastructure projects. The stark contrast between the progress of these institutions and their counterparts in Jammu—Central University of Jammu (CUJ) and AIIMS Jammu—further reveals a deeper structural imbalance. Established under the Central Universities Act, 2009, the Central University of Kashmir began its academic sessions in rented accommodations across Srinagar, with the promise of soon shifting to a dedicated campus at Tulmulla in Ganderbal district. Seventeen years later, the university still operates largely from makeshift buildings. The land at Tulmulla, while abundant in terms of acreage, is marshy, with a high water table, making it unfit for heavy construction without advanced soil stabilization—a fact that was either ignored or inadequately evaluated. It is widely believed that the site was selected during Omar Abdullah’s tenure as Chief Minister in 2009, with little technical scrutiny. The real tragedy is not just that a poor decision was made, but that despite multiple expert reviews and funding allocations, no corrective course was taken. Over the years, crores of rupees have been spent on rent for temporary buildings when the same could have been used for proper construction had a suitable site been chosen.
Compare this with Central University of Jammu, also established under the same act and timeline. CUJ, located at Bagla in Samba district, is now fully functional with well-developed academic blocks, hostels, and research infrastructure. CUK, by contrast, has barely outgrown its temporary roots. Going by the current progress, CUK— with a full fledged campus at its current location may come up by 2050. Congratulations. Announced in November 2015 as part of the Prime Minister’s development package, the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at Awantipora in Kashmir was conceived to bring world-class healthcare and medical education to the Valley. Yet, even ten years later, the institute is still under construction, lagging behind its original deadline of January 2025 by nearly a year. Revised timelines now project completion by November 2025, with outpatient services expected to begin in 2026. Meanwhile, AIIMS Jammu, announced at the same time, has been fully inaugurated and is operational since February 2024. Its MBBS batches have been running since 2021, and over 95% of its infrastructure was ready by mid-2024.
Here again, the location of the Kashmir facility is at the heart of the problem. The site at Awantipora, Pulwama district, is rocky and mountainous, posing logistical challenges for large-scale construction. Reports indicate that the original site proposed was at Pampore/Galender, a flat, accessible area closer to Srinagar, with sufficient facilities and better soil conditions. However, the site was shifted to Awantipora during Mehbooba Mufti’s term as Chief Minister, citing availability of free government land. Residents of Pampore and several civic organizations protested the decision, calling it politically motivated, aimed at appeasing voters in the Awantipora constituency—a PDP stronghold at the time. While official responses claimed that the site was chosen for land availability, the resulting construction delays, cost overruns, and technical hurdles betray a lack of due diligence. In a region like Kashmir where every hour can be a matter of life and death due to healthcare inaccessibility, such avoidable delays are not just administrative failures—they are ethical lapses.
“The delay of the CUK and AIIMS Kashmir projects for seventeen years is a tragic example of poor governance. The projects have been repeatedly stalled due to political motives, prioritizing appearances and control over the well-being and aspirations of the people of Kashmir. Now, what’s needed is accountability, urgency, and the political will to correct these decisions so Kashmir can finally receive the promised development.”
Hope Kashmir’s AIIMS sees the light of the day by June 2026 and hope that shall unburden the Kashmir’s SKIMS & SMHS. What links both these projects—the CUK and AIIMS Kashmir—is the pattern of poor site selection driven more by political considerations than logistical, ecological, or institutional suitability. When sites are chosen for vote banks rather than viability, institutions become prisoners of the ground beneath them. In Kashmir’s case, this is literal: CUK’s buildings sink into marshland while AIIMS’s facilities struggle to emerge from rock. The question must be asked: Were these sites chosen because they were the best, or because they were politically expedient? If the former, then the decision-makers must be held accountable for the gross negligence of technical feasibility. If the latter, then this is a textbook example of how development gets derailed when optics overrule objectivity. It is worth noting that both CUJ and AIIMS Jammu benefited from relatively flat, firm terrain and quicker land clearance processes. But that alone does not explain the disparity.
The political will to expedite these projects in Jammu was evidently stronger. Whether through bureaucratic inertia or deliberate sidelining, Kashmir’s twin institutions have not received the same urgency or attention. These delays have real and measurable consequences. Thousands of students from Kashmir continue to seek education outside the region due to lack of infrastructure at CUK. Faculty recruitment is slow, and research output remains minimal. Similarly, the absence of a functioning AIIMS deprives the Valley of not only cutting-edge healthcare but also a training ground for future medical professionals. Moreover, public trust erodes when promises remain unfulfilled for decades. People begin to view development as a mirage, an illusion used during elections and forgotten afterward. In Kashmir, where the state-citizen relationship is already fraught, such failures only deepen alienation. Firstly, there must be an independent audit of the site selection process for both these institutions. This is not merely an administrative exercise but a public accountability measure. Second, all future infrastructure projects, especially in geographically sensitive regions, must pass through strict technical vetting by expert panels, not just political cabinets. Third, the Central Government must take direct responsibility to fast-track construction at CUK and AIIMS Kashmir, with quarterly public reports on progress.
The people of Kashmir should not be punished with delays for decisions they neither made nor benefited from. Lastly, there must be an effort to depoliticize development. Institutions of learning and health must be insulated from electoral compulsions. When infrastructure becomes a pawn, people become victims. The case of CUK and AIIMS Kashmir is not just about two delayed projects. It is about a pattern of governance that has repeatedly prioritized politics over people, optics over outcomes, and control over competence. Seventeen years is a lifetime in the world of infrastructure. For a region as fragile and aspiration-filled as Kashmir, it is a tragedy. The time for excuses is over. What is needed now is accountability, urgency, and above all, the political will to undo politically driven decisions.Only then can Kashmir hope to catch up with the very promises that were made in its name.
(The author is Assistant Professor at J&K Higher Education Department and a researcher based in Gowhar Pora Chadoora of Central Kashmir’s Budgam district. The views, opinions and conclusions expressed in this article are those of the author and aren’t necessarily in accord with the views of “Kashmir Horizon”)
Dr. Ashraf Zainabi
[email protected]
