PHC locked by contractor over non-payment of bills

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, July 20: A Primary Health Centre (PHC) has been locked by the contractor over non-payment of bills.
As per reports, a construction work of the PHC in Lower Gadigarh area of Ward Number 73 of Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC) was completed around 4 years back, but remained non-functional till date due to the reason best known to the officers sitting at the helm of affairs.
The residents alleged that the construction work of the PHC was completed around 4 year back but it remained non-functional till date.
They stated that the PHC was constructed to cater to the medical needs of the people living in Rohi Morh, Karan Bagh, Lower Gadigarh and its surrounding areas.
The residents said that an old building from where the PHC is presently operating is in shambles condition and there is no place even for medical staff to perform their duties properly.
It is leaking from several places and even medicines are not stored in proper condition, the locals said.
The locals demanding its opening have approached the authorities a number of times but to no avail.
“We met higher officers in the Health and Medical Education Department and District Administration with the plea to make this PHC operational for the benefit of the people, but our repeated pleas fall on deaf ears”, the residents alleged.
hey appealed to the Lieutenant Governor to clear the bottlenecks and order the concerned authorities to make this PHC operational as soon as possible.
“I have written to Deputy Commissioner Jammu and Director Health Services Jammu to make this PHC operational”, said SDM Jammu South Shrikant Balasaheb Suse when contacted, adding that he is hopeful that PHC will start functioning soon. He also admitted that the PHC has been locked by the contractor over non-payment of bills.