Excelsior Correspondent
Srinagar, Dec 23: The construction of the New Type Primary Health Centre, Botingo in north Kashmir’s Baramulla district, which has been under construction for 15 years, has been stalled for the last two years due to a lack of approval from the Health Department for the unfinished works.
Locals alleged the fact that they had been raising the issue with the concerned department for years but had only received assurances. According to them, at least 15 villages are experiencing health-care issues due to a lack of infrastructure.
“The new building has been under construction for the past fifteen years, and all major works are finished, but the pending work is awaiting finances,” says Nissar Ahmad, a local.
He added that the government’s refusal to complete this facility demonstrates its commitment to rural healthcare.
Locals claim that since the government approved it in 2007, work on healthcare has progressed at a snail’s pace. “The primary construction work on the building is complete, but the government has failed to make it functional despite the fact that it has been in use for 15 years,” said Nisar Ahmad.
He said that the government has done nothing to repair the structure for the past year, allowing it to deteriorate while locals continue to be treated in two-room construction with no electricity, toilets, or water.
Assistant Executive Engineer Roads and Buildings Department, Fayaz Ahmad, said that the department project report for the ongoing work is awaiting administrative approval. “The building is awaiting administrative approval for internal electrification and balance item renovation for an amount of Rs 86.4 lakhs,” he said, adding that the government could classify it as a languishing project to ensure seamless funding flow.
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