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| 6 years on, CHC Mahore still incomplete, cost escalating | | | ARUN SINGH
Jammu, Feb 25: Non-seriousness of State Health Department towards the people of far flung areas can be gauged from the fact that it has been more than 6 years; the construction of 50 bedded Community Health Center (CHC) at Mahore in district Reasi is still incomplete. Moreover the undue delay in completion of the construction, the cost of CHC escalated more than two and half times from its original cost. Sources told Early Times that in the year 2004-05, a 50 bedded Community Health Centre was envisaged to be constructed at Mahore in private land measuring 9 kanals and 5 marlas was identified for construction of the hospital. The initial estimates of the project were worked to the tune of Rs 10.63 crores by JKPCC Ltd. in August, 2005.But the construction work of the hospital could not be taken up till January, 2009 due to delay in payment of compensation to the land owners and resistance by a local who is residing at the construction site. Only some length of boundary wall was constructed by the executing agency Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation (JKPCC) between June 2005 to January 2009, ie almost 4 years, they said. Finally, after settling the dispute with the local only 6 kanal and 14 marla was acquired for the CHC. Meanwhile, the cost of the project was revised by JKPCC to Rs 11.49 crores in February, 2008. During the course of construction, the cost was again revised to Rs 25.94 crores in December, 2009 and further to Rs 26.40 crores in September, 2010. They further informed that the funding of the project remained poor and the utilization of funds was even poorer. "Against the original cost of Rs 10.63 crore only Rs 7.26 crore (68%) were released and value of works worth Rs 6.05 crore (57%) stand executed upto December, 2013," they added. The delay in completion of CHC Mahore has led to cost escalation to more than two and half times, besides spilling over of the project beyond its stipulated time frame, they added.
Sources said that the CHC is also having the problem of a faulty site selection as the site of CHC Mahore is at some distance, about 1-2 km, from the main market of Mahore. Even at a distance, the land selected for the public building is inadequate.
There is shortage of space for construction of soakage pit, septic tank, development of parking area. They further said that the onus of slowing down of the pace of execution of works lies only with JKPCC as in the year 2011-12 when Rs 4.26 crore were available with it under the project but work valuing only Rs 90.00 lacs was executed. |
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