To pave the way for the construction of an All India Institute of Medical Science (AIIMS) at Vijaipur in Samba district, the Jammu and Kashmir government has evicted 250 families from the Gujjar and Bakarwal communities from the area. On June 12, 2015, then Union Health Minister J.P. Nadda announced two AIIMS centres: One at Vijaypur and the other at Awantipora in Pulwama district. In 2018, the government identified forest and state land as the site for the hospital in Vijaipur. But the Gujjars and Bakarwals, who have been living on the land for decades, opposed the construction as they would be evicted. The government, however, went ahead with the eviction. Javid Rahi, a tribal activist, told LCW that 250 families were evicted in 2018 and were relocated to another locality in Samba but that the rehabilitation was poorly executed. These families have been suffering for the last two years. They do not have basic facilities, such as proper road, drinking water and grazing land. The government had promised 10,890 square feet of land per family, but they have been given only 6,534 square feet of land. They do not have enough land to graze their cattle while their livelihood depends on the animals, he added. According to Rahi, the Gujjar and Bakarwal families earlier lived in Doda district near the Line of Control, but due to the militancy in 1990, they had shifted to Samba and erected temporary sheds. These were demolished to build the new healthcare unit. A deadline of four years has been kept for the completion of the project. The foundation stone for both the AIIMS units were laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on February 3, 2019.