Suhail Bhat
SRINAGAR, June 7: The New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) Botingoo in Sopore area of North Kashmir’s Baramulla district awaits completion for 15-years with administration blaming paucity of funds for the delay.
The locals lamented that since the tertiary care hospitals are overwhelmed with the COVID-19 patients, the residents of around 15 villages are facing health care problems because of deficient infrastructure.
“The SDH- Sopore which has been dedicated as COVID care is fully occupied. God forbid if cases start increasing in our area, we have no place to treat patients. The structure would have been more than useful in tackling the COVID crisis,” Umar, a local from the area, told Excelsior. He added that the Government’s failure to complete this facility shows its seriousness towards rural healthcare.
According to the locals, the work on healthcare has been going on a slow pace since Government sanctioned it in 2007. “The main construction work on the building is complete but the Government has failed to make it functional despite the passing of 15 years since it was inaugurated,” Nisar Ahmad, a local said.
He alleged that the authorities have done no work for last one year and left the structure to decay while people continue to receive treatment from a nondescript two-room building that lacks all the basic facilities including electricity, toilet, and water.
The locals said the administration’s failure to complete the project in stipulated time shows their indifference towards the people of the area. “The gaps in the project’s implementation are visible but none is ready to accept the failure,” the locals said.
Irfan Dilawar Bhat, a local activist said they are pinning their hopes on the present administration. “We have repeatedly raised the issue with the authorities, but our pleas went unheard. The successive Governments have failed to complete this project,” he said, adding the place has become a favorite haunt for gamblers and drug addicts.
An official at the Roads and Buildings department said the detailed project report for the pending work awaits administrative approval. “The building is awaiting administrative approval for the internal electrification, and renovation of balance items for an amount of Rs 86.4 lakhs,” the official said, adding the Government should list it as a languishing project to ensure smooth flow of funds.
Chief Medical Officer Baramulla, Deeba Khan told Excelsior the work has been halted because of a shortage of funds. “We will resume work on the pending part once funds are released,” she said.
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