‘Rs 170 cr already spent on project’
Excelsior Correspondent
SRINAGAR, Dec 20: Apni Party president Altaf Bukhari has expressed deep concern over the plan to shift the site for Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara from its originally approved location at Gund Chogal.
Questioning the official claims that the earlier approved site is not feasible due to its vulnerability to floods, Bukhari asked why the site had been approved earlier without a risk assessment. He urged the authorities to explore options to mitigate the flood risk and take measures to ensure the same site remains viable for the construction of GMC.
In a statement, Bukhari said that the relocation of the GMC site would lead to huge losses of taxpayers’ money.”There is no plausible justification for relocating GMC Handwara from its originally approved site at Gund Chogal. Media reports indicate that nearly Rs 170 crore have already been spent on this Rs 325 crore Central government project. Shifting the site now would mean wasting the money already invested,”he added.
Questioning the claim that the approved site is prone to floods, Apni Party chief said, “It is strange that the same officials who initially approved the site for GMC construction are now deeming it unfeasible due to its vulnerability to seasonal flooding. Was the site approved without a thorough risk assessment?”
“It is important to recognise that farmers willingly gave up their fertile land, hoping the GMC project would bring progress and business opportunities to the area. Now, they feel betrayed as the government announces plans to relocate the project,” he said.
Bukhari urged the administration to make corrective measures. “The administration must take action against the officials who approved the site without conducting a proper risk assessment. It must explore options to protect the approved site, which spans 251 kanals, using modern techniques such as river dredging, building a flood channel nearby, constructing perimeter walls around the site, raising the foundations of the buildings, erecting flood barriers, and other measures,” he asserted.
“The GMC project, inaugurated in October 2021, was supposed to be completed by March 2025. Changing the plan at this stage will result in a sheer waste of resources, money and time,” Bukhari questioned.
Follow our WhatsApp channel