Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, May 18: Social activist Ali Mohammad Jan today began a protest march from Kakapora in Pulwama district to the Civil Secretariat in Srinagar against the prolonged delay in the completion and operationalization of the Sub-District Hospital (SDH) Kakapora.
Jan started the march from his hometown Kakapora and is expected to reach Srinagar on Tuesday. As part of the protest, he placed a traditional cap on a handcart to symbolically draw the attention of the administration and the government towards the pending hospital project.
A speaking to reporters before starting the march, Jan said the SDH project has remained incomplete since 2018 despite repeated public demands, causing difficulties for people of Kakapora and adjoining areas.
He alleged that the Health Minister and Kashmir National Conference-led government recently termed the present site unsuitable for the hospital, further delaying the project.
Jan questioned why the issue of land suitability was not raised before the construction work was initiated. “People are suffering because there are no proper healthcare facilities in the area. Patients are being forced to travel to Pulwama and Srinagar for treatment, especially during emergencies,” he said.
He added that many patients face hardships while traveling long distances for medical care and said the hospital was constructed to meet the healthcare needs of the local population. “My demand is that the SDH should be made functional immediately. The government built this hospital for the people, and now it must be opened without further delay,” Jan said.
He said he would spend the night at Press Colony in Srinagar and continue the march towards the Civil Secretariat on Tuesday at around 11 a.m.
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