Bandipora, Sep 08 (KNO): Authorities have yet to complete the construction of the New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) in Madhwan village of Hajin, located in North Kashmir's Bandipora district.
Astonishingly, this construction project has remained unfinished for a staggering fifteen-year period.
The NTPHC project in Madhwan village, which was envisioned to provide crucial healthcare services to the local population, currently stands as a concrete structure with no progress in sight for over seven years. The building, once brimming with potential, now lies abandoned, causing frustration among the villagers who were anticipating improved healthcare facilities.
Locals in Madhwan village while speaking to the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), have expressed their disappointment over the prolonged delay in completing the health centre. They said that the land allocated for this project originally belonged to the villagers themselves, who generously donated it to the government for the construction of the health centre.
Imtiyaz Ahmad, a local, said that the foundation stone of the hospital was laid in 2008, and thereafter, the construction agency initiated the building phase. However, for several years, work remained irregular on the project, leaving us in a state of uncertainty."
Irshad Ahmad, another resident of Madhwan village, added, "There has been absolutely no progress whatsoever for over six years. The hospital is lying in the same abandoned condition, which is disheartening for people here."
"What was initially envisioned as a healthcare haven for the villagers of Madhwan now serves an entirely different purpose. The incomplete structure has been repurposed by locals, who utilize it for drying crops, sun-drying vegetables, and carpets," the locals said.
Meanwhile, they have appealed to Deputy Commissioner Bandipora, Dr. Owais Ahmad, urging his intervention in this matter to expedite the process of making the building fully operational at the earliest.
According to an official, the delay in the disbursement of funds by the constructing authorities had prompted the contractor to cease further work on the hospital project. The official went on to say, "Nevertheless, we have already communicated this issue to higher authorities, and we are optimistic that favorable resolutions will be reached in the near future."—(KNO)