Waseem Ahmad
Srinagar, Feb 4: After missing three deadlines in last four years, the construction work of a 500- bedded Mother Child hospital at Bemina area of Srinagar is still incomplete.
Roads and Buildings (R&B) department, the executing agency, blamed the slow flow of funds for the delay of the project. “The pace of work depends on the flow of funds. Unless we receive hundred percent funding, we cannot complete the construction work,” Chief Engineer R&B Abdul Hamid Sheikh said.
The construction of the hospital was started in 2013 and it was proposed to be 200-bedded Maternity Care hospital aimed at easing the burden of Lal Ded Memorial hospital.
However, Government gave it an extension in 2015 and added childcare block to it. Former Chief Minister, late Mufti Mohammad Sayeed on October 17, 2015 had laid the foundation stone for 500-bedded Mother Child Hospital.
Earlier when the project was started, Government had fixed 2015 as the first deadline for 200-beeded maternity care hospital. But the deadline was missed by the executing agency. After that 2016 was fixed as another deadline which was again missed. Again, 2017 was set as the deadline for the project which was yet again not met by the authorities.
Abdul Hamid Sheikh, R&B Chief Engineer said the first deadline was not met due to 2014 devastating floods in which the work was affected. Later, 2016 and 2017 deadlines were missed due to lack of funds.
“We have completed 70 percent of the construction work and we are waiting for the funds. The building would have been ready, if there was no paucity of funds,” he said, adding that the work is in full swing and would be completed by the end of June this year.
As per health officials, the hospital will ease the burden of the Lal Ded Memorial hospital and G B Pant hospital Srinagar. The two hospitals are the Valley’s lone maternity and pediatric hospitals, which receive patients from all over the Valley.
“The newly constructed hospital will be very useful for the patients of North Kashmir as it is more convenient for them. The hospital is located on the National Highway, so the patients will prefer it rather than other hospitals in the congested areas of Srinagar,” the Health officials said.
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