news details |
|
|
| Govt creates a white elephant near GMC | | |
SANT KUMAR SHARMA
Jammu, December 30:
The foundation stone for Attendants Sarai for Government Medical College and Hospital, Jammu, was laid by then chief minister Ghulam Nabi Azad on March 18, 2008. A plaque in black granite outside the magnificent and imposing building tells us that it was done in presence of Health and Medical Education Minister Mangat Ram Sharma.
The plaque, however, does not tell us when this building will be completed and handed over to the GMC authorities for use by the public. In fact, no plaques installed as foundation stones tell us the completion date.
At the foundation stone laying ceremony, Mr Azad had announced that the building would be completed in a record time of six months or so. In fact, the construction of the building had already started before March 18 last year.
Yet, over 21 months later, there is no sign of the building being completed in the near future. In fact, an advertisement inserted in a daily newspaper on Tuesday gives clear indication that delay in completion may last several months.
The advertisement has been issued by the Executive Engineer of the J&K Police Housing Corporation, Division Jammu, which is apparently in charge of constructing the sarai building. The ad is regarding the extension of date for sale of tender documents. The earlier NIT (notice inviting tender) had been issued on 16-10-2009.
It says that due to poor response to the earlier ad (NIT No 03/2009-10) inserted in the newspapers for installing an elevator (lift) in the building, the date for sale of tender documents is being extended up to January 9, 2010.
One can thus safely assume that even if the tender is awarded at the earliest and the successful contractor starts installing the lift, it will not be completed before March 20, 2010, full two years after the laying of the foundation stone.
Inquiries in the office of the medical superintendent (MS) of GMC&H did not yield any result. Some officials in the MS office said that they had not been informed about the tentative dates for completion of the project. Also, they did not know who will control the sarai building for allocation to attendants once it is completed.
Officials said they knew only this much that the building would have benefited poor patients coming from far-off areas. Presently, attendants live in the corridors of the wards where the patients are admitted.
This creates unhygienic conditions in the hospital as along with hundreds of patients, attendants in far larger numbers also throng the hospital premises. This puts pressure on the infrastructure like toilets etc meant for the patients as these are utilised by the attendants as well.
The sarai building was meant to change all that. In fact, it still can provided it is completed as the attendants will then be accommodated in this building and they will have to pay a nominal charge for stay.
Presently, poor patients from far-off areas like Poonch, Rajouri, Doda, Ramban, Kishtwar, Bani and Basohli etc suffer because of paucity of accommodation near the hospital.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
