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| Ten years, several cost revisions later; Up-gradation of CHC Samba still incomplete | | | Arun Singh
Jammu, Sept 4: The indifference and apathy of Health Department can be gauged from the fact that a project of up-gradation of Community Health Center (CHC) Samba to district Hospital which was taken up in 2003-04 is incomplete even after lapse of 10 years.
Sources told Early Times that the first expansion of the CHC, Samba was taken up by the Health Department in 2003-04 at the estimated cost of Rs 2.56 crore was sanctioned by NABARD.
"The state Public Works (R&B) Department was assigned the task of executing the works approved under the project. The project cost was revised to Rs 2.82 crore initially and to Rs 3.55 crore later on," they said. Surprisingly, funds to the tune of Rs 2.82 crore were released to the executing agency up to 2007-08 without according administrative approval to the revised estimates. All the funds were expended, including those meant for purchase of machinery and equipment, but some of the construction works had remained unexecuted till date, sources said.
They further said that after the new district Samba was carved, the second expansion of the CHC by way of upgrading it in to a district level hospital was taken up in March 2010 funded under State Plan and NRHM.
The construction work is still in progress. Construction work of the new project costing Rs 11.83 crore was assigned to the J&K Housing Board. Administrative approval has not been accorded to the project till date, however, during the last three years an amount of Rs 8.50 crore has been released by Health Department to the executing agency.
The construction work of para medical staff quarters and mortuary block was not taken up nor has the machinery and equipment have been approved under the project acquired out of the funds meant for the purpose.
"An amount of Rs 5.66 lacs had been earmarked for the construction of mortuary. Construction work of mortuary block has not been taken up despite the fact that the condition of the old Mortuary did not seem good," sources informed.
The new phase of expansion up-gradation of 30-beded CHC to a 100-bedded District Hospital which commenced in March 2010 wherein the construction work of 6 quarters for Doctors and 12 quarters for para medical staff has been held up due to non-availability of funds only plinth of the residential quarters has been erected.
Worthwhile to mention here that not only has an amount of Rs 25.62 lacs exceeding the approved amount been released to the executing agency but the amount of Rs 67.08 earmarked in the project for purchase of M&E, construction of residential quarters & mortuary has also been diverted towards other items. Sources said that there was no provision of funds in the project for handling/ disposing bio-waste. |
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