Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister today laid the foundation stones of the college block and the 250-bedded hospital block of the SKIMS Medical College.

To be built at a cost of Rs 172.25 crore, the complex would have all the modern-day healthcare facilities, an official spokesman said. The chief minister directed the executing agencies to complete the project within three years and hoped that once completed, the people living in the catchment areas would get all the modern-day healthcare facilities at the hospital.

The CM, who is also the chairperson of the SKIMS governing body, asked the principal of the medical college to get all the machines and diagnostic equipment by the time the construction was completed. Spread over 2,260 square metres, the new college block will have eight storeys, while the hospital block will comprise seven storeys with a parking facility of 100 vehicles.