Srinagar, Aug 14 (KNO): Health Minister Sakina Itoo on Thursday announced that Natnusa has been unanimously approved as the new site for the Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara, replacing the earlier location at Maidan Chogal, which she described as flood-prone and unsuitable for such a major project.
“All stakeholders have agreed and formally signed that Natnusa is feasible for GMC Handwara. We want this 50-year project to benefit the people as soon as possible", Itoo, as per the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), told reporters.
The decision was taken following a joint site inspection by the minister, local MLAs, Chief Minister’s Advisor Nasir Aslam Wani, senior health department officials and chief engineers from PDD, PHE and R&B, she said.
Itoo said the project remained stagnant between 2019 and 2024. “Since the formation of this government, we have been determined to resolve the site issue so that work can start without delay,” she said, adding that the Union Health Ministry has now extended the project deadline to 2026. “
Insha Allah, we aim to start work immediately after cabinet approval and complete it within the extended timeline, she added.
Addressing rural healthcare gaps, the minister outlined steps to strengthen healthcare delivery in remote and border areas, including the posting of 509 new doctors, recruitment of consultants and plans to engage retired specialists in gynaecology, orthopaedics and cardiology to address acute shortages.
As per the details, over Rs 50 crore has already been spent on developing infrastructure at Maidan Chogal. The project, part of a Rs 325 crore centrally sponsored scheme, was inaugurated in 2021. However, residents back the flood-prone Chogal site and oppose relocation.
The initial plan targeted completion by March 2025, but construction, which began in 2020, was hampered by the site’s vulnerability to seasonal flooding, leaving the facility incomplete and progress stalled—(KNO)