Hospital in Kulgam village awaits completion
Kulgam: Even after the lapse of more than 12 years, the construction works at the Sub-district hospital in Kulgam await completion despite the availability of funds for carrying out the works.
Locals said that the hospital was sanctioned in year 2008 and was scheduled to be completed in three years but even after more than a decade has passed the hospital is nowhere near completion.
The locals alleged that not even half of the work has been done as of now and if the work continues at the same speed then it seems that it would take another two decades to get the hospital fully operational.
Officials within the health department said that ill planning of the health officials besides political meddling delayed the project.
They said that after completing nearly 50 percent of the work, the department under the pressure of some politicians declared the site unfit and started searching for an alternative site.
They further added that after taking years in getting new location, official chose to construct modern sub district hospital at the site of Police Station Damhal Hanjipora which was set on fire during 2016 unrest and the site where the half building for SDH was completed was given to police for construction of Police station.
The swapping of locations not only took time, overstretched the work but also wasted the funds, they said, adding that this hospital became victim of political meddling.
“Every local leader besides political parties were in want of its credit instead of preferring benefits to the local population they were working for seeking publicity for themselves,” the locals alleged.
The locals questioned that if the first site was unapproachable then why did the officials of the health department chose the site and then after around 8 years, they found it unfit for the hospital location.
They said that the upper belt of the Kulgam has always become a victim of power game and has seen no development on ground.
The locals said that the health care facility in the region is in bad shape and no one is concerned to help out the local population.
They requested authorities to look into the matter and complete the hospital at an earliest so that locals can heave a sigh of relief.
On contacting Chief Medical officer Kulgam Dr Fazil Kochak, he said that they have repeatedly asked the construction company to speed up the work.
He said the slab on the first storey was laid and hopefully work will resume again and be completed soon.
Jahangeer Ganaie
