Though both Lt Governor Manoj Sinha and as well as Chief Secretary Dr A K Mehta have in several review meetings of different departments directed the administrative secretaries to ensure completion of developmental projects in fixed timelines but yet against most of the key developmental projects are missing deadlines and one such project is the construction of additional block of the Bone & Joint Hospital Srinagar. Unfortunately the construction of additional block of one of the key referral hospitals of Kashmir valley Bone & Joint Hospital Srinagar funded by a prestigious international financial institution like World Bank has missed a deadline but yet again people are not sure about the completion of the said additional block of Bone & Joint hospital Srinagar before the extended deadline. Under no circumstances the construction of key health facility centre of one of the main referral hospitals of Kashmir valley should have missed even one deadline but the completion of this key health facility centre dragged on for the last three years deserves immediate attention and intervention of the top brass of the health and medical education department. Response coming through an RTI application but not any review meeting of the health and medical education department or the spot inspection of the said additional block of Bone & Joint hospital speaks volumes about the quiescent approach of the top brass of the health and, medical education department on the completion of this 120 bedded additional block being built at an estimated cost of Rs 89 crores at one of the top referral hospitals in Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir. This obviously shows that top brass of the health & medical education department is not too much concerned about the completion of this 120 bedded hospital building in short time.
Since one portion of the old building of the Bone & Joint hospital was damaged in a devastating fire in march this year, the under construction building for additional block of the hospital should not have missed any deadline after the damage of one portion of the old building in the fire incident. The health & medical education department has not to wait only for the completion of the building being constructed for 120 bedded additional block but also for it’s formal handover to the department immediately after the completion of the construction of the building. By all standards of understandabilities compromise on the construction of infrastructural facilities being built for the health facilities of the people is tantamount to compromise with the accessibility of people to basic health facilities and that too at one of the key referral hospitals in Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir .
The onus however does not only lie only on health & medical education department but primarily the implementing agency and construction company to whom the work has been allotted are to blamed for the delay in the completion of 120 bedded building taken up three years back for the purposes of hassle free health facility at one of the key referral hospitals of Kashmir valley. Since one portion of the old building of the Bone & Joint hospital was damaged in a devastating fire in march this year, the under construction building for additional block of the hospital should not have missed any deadline after the damage of one portion of the old building in the fire incident. The health & medical education department has not to wait only for the completion of the building being constructed for 120 bedded additional block but also for it’s formal handover to the department immediately after the completion of the construction of the building. By all standards of understandabilities compromise on the construction of infrastructural facilities being built for the health facilities of the people is tantamount to compromise with the accessibility of people to basic health facilities and that too at one of the key referral hospitals in Srinagar the summer capital of Jammu & Kashmir.
