Srinagar: The Indian government plans to open the regional National Institute of Virology in Jammu & Kashmir, media reports said.

As part of strengthening pandemic research, the regional National Institute of Virology (NIV) for north zone was to be established in Chandigarh, but would be set-up in Jammu due to land dispute there, reports Kashmir Observer.

“This project is to be shifted to Jammu, due to land dispute at Chandigarh,” reads the report of the department-related parliamentary standing committee on Health & Family Welfare as quoted by the news portal.

The report was published in the Parliament on Mar 15.

“Jammu UT authority has identified one area, which was declared unsuitable by a committee. Now Jammu UT has proposed three more sites. ICMR experts team is scheduled to visit Jammu shortly,” the report states.