The construction of 50-bed Gynae and Maternity Hospital at Pazalpora in north Kashmir's Bandipora district is lingering for the past more than six years now as the executing agency has failed to complete the project.
The hospital was to be constructed under Relief and Rehabilitation initiative of NHPC, executing agency for 330 Megawatt Kishen Ganga Power Project.
"The construction of the hospital is being carried out by the R&B department Bandipora at an estimated cost of Rs 18 crore out of which around Rs 10 crore work has been done," said an official.
Locals said that the department initiated the construction of the hospital building in the year 2012 but even after passing of more than six years the hospital building is still incomplete.
Ghulam Nabi Teyla, a local resident of Pazalpora, said that the department has failed to complete the work because of their lackadaisical approach.
"This was a vital healthcare project in the area as the district has no maternity hospital which forces them to take Gynae patients either to Sopore or Srinagar hospitals for specialized treatment. Had the hospital been completed in time their sufferings would have got mitigated. But to their disappointment the department has failed to complete the project, " the locals said.
They said that if the hospital would have been completed and made functional it would have minimized the rush of patients and unnecessary referrals from district hospital Bandipora.
"Though the structure has been completed last year but inner works are yet to be completed. And in the absence of the watch and ward, the building has become a hub of anti-social activities like gambling," locals said.
The project was approved at a cost of Rs 18 crore with Rs 13 crore as building cost and Rs 5 crores as machinery/equipment cost.
The NHPC had to undertake various development projects which include construction of 50-bed Maternity hospital under local area development programme or relief and rehabilitation (R&R) plan.
Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Dr. Shahid Iqbal Choudhary, said that the building would be completed by March end and by mid-April it would be made functional.
"But there was a drawback as the staff was not approved for the hospital, but we have furnished a proposal to the government for the same. As and when the building gets completed staff would also be approved," he assured.
