| 7 yrs on, 50-bed hospital at Mahore awaits completion | | | Bijay Charak
Early Times Report
Jammu, June 26: Work on 50-bed hospital at the Community Health Centre (CHC) Mahore is still incomplete, seven years after it started.
In 2008, the state government awarded construction work of CHC Mahore to J&K Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) at an estimated cost of Rs 10.63 crore.
Later the cost of the project was revised to Rs 11.49 crore. During the course of construction, the cost was again revised to Rs 25.94 crore in December 2009 and further to Rs 26.40 crore in September 2010.
The government had announced that the work would be completed within three years, but even after a delay of nearly four years the JKPCC has completed OPD, IPD blocks and doctors residential quarters. Sources said the JKPCC has yet not taken up the construction work of accommodation for paramedical staff, garage administrative block, drug store, general store, canteen, laundry and mortuary building. When contacted JKPCC's Deputy General Manager, Reasi, Pankaj Sahni attributed the inordinate delay in execution of the work to paucity of funds. "Government did not release the fund on time due to which the construction work was going on at a snail's pace," Sahni said. He said the work was also halted for more than six months because of some land dispute. "But the major reason was non-availability of funds due to which the work was stopped," he said. Sahni said that till date govern ment has released Rs 771 lakhs out of Rs 10.81 crore to JKPCC. "It is now three years that no funds have been released. Last time we have received Rs 45 lakh which was in 2012," he said. "If the government releases funds, then within three months the corporation would complete the remaining work and hand over the building to the Health department", Sahni added. |
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