Suhail Bhat
Srinagar, Jan 3: Over 12 years after the construction of Modern Sub-District Damhal Hanjipora in South Kashmir’s Kulgam district began, work continues to drag on despite the availability of funds.
The pace of work on the hospital could be gauged from the fact that it was sanctioned in 2008, but is still under construction. The hospital was scheduled to be constructed in three years but remains incomplete even after 12 years. “Only column work has been done, and if the construction work continues at the same pace, it would take another decade to get completed,” Nazir Ahmad, a local said.
The main reason behind the delay in its completion was the ill planning by the Health Department in choosing the location of the hospital. “After completing nearly half of the work the department found the location unfit and started searching for an alternate location,” an official, privy to details said.
Right now, he said, the hospital is being constructed at the site of Damhal Hanjipora Police Station. “The Police and Health Departments have, in fact, swapped the locations. The hospital is being constructed at the site of the Police Station, which was set on fire by arsonists in 2016 unrest, while as the Police Station is being constructed at the hospital site,” he said, adding that it not only overstretched the work but wasted the funds.
The residents, however, alleged that unwillingness by the Government to complete the projects started by their predecessors was the primary reason behind delay in its completion. The residents said that the building was the victim of a political tussle between local leaders wherein everyone wants its credit under his belt.
“The health care of the area is worst affected because of this power game and it seems people have to wait for another two decades for the new structure,” Muzaffar Ahmad, a local said, adding the authorities abandoned the building and the site after spending nearly half of the allocated funds.
The project was sanctioned in 2008 and the construction was subsequently taken up on the new building during the tenure of the NC-Congress coalition Government. Around, half of the construction was completed when the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led coalition government took over. Subsequently, the work on the hospital was stopped with authorities finding it “unapproachable” for the people.
Residents allege that the decision to halt the construction was taken on political lines and has nothing to do with the location of the hospital. They questioned why was project stopped after spending all the money.
“If the building was unapproachable why did Health Department choose the site for it? Why did not they conduct a survey before spending money on it? The decision to leave the project was politically motivated,” a local said.
He added: “a local leader deceived the authorities and made them believe that the building cannot be approached easily. Almost 90% of the building was complete. How was construction carried if it was unapproachable?”, he asked.
Chief Medical Officer Kulgam, Fazal Kotchak, admitted the construction work was going on at a slow pace. “I have asked the construction company to speed up the work. I hope that the work will be completed as soon as possible,” he said.
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