Govt fails to complete NTPHC building in Shopian
Shopian: Even after a lapse of nearly 30 years the authorities in south Kashmir’s Shopian district have failed to complete the construction works on the New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) located in Imamsahib area.
Locals said that people of Imamsahib and around 30 adjacent villages are facing dearth of health care facilities in absence of any such facility in the area.
They said that centre was sanctioned in the area in 1982 but due to the callous attitude of authorities, the building of the centre is still waiting completion.
“The concrete slab on the first storey was laid in year 2018 after a gap of many years and since then the work has been halted again,” said Rashid Ahmad, a local resident while adding that the incomplete structure has started decaying even before it could have provided any relief to the locals.
“In absence of basic health care facilities we are forced to visit other hospitals which cost us more time and money,” the locals said.
They said that similar centers that were sanctioned after 2010 are functional but due to unknown reasons the one sanctioned at Imamsahib has been left abandoned.
They said that the current NTPHC is functioning from a small rented building where only one doctor is posted and that too has no facility other than first aid.
“This area was ignored on all development fronts by all the previous governments, but unfortunately the present dispensation too has turned a blind eye to our needs,” another local resident said.
On contacting Chief Medical Officer, Shopian Dr Ramesh Malla, he said that the executing agency R&B and the contractor who was allotted the job have some issues which are being settled.
He assured that very soon work on the building will restart and will be completed till end of the current year.
Jahangeer Ganaie
