PAMPORE: The residents of Shaar Shali village of Pampore area in south Kashmir’s Pulwama district have accused a contractor for violating construction protocols by laying concrete slab of a health centre amid snow on Monday.
The local residents from the village informed Kashmir Reader that the contractor laid slab on New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) in snow ,which according to them will impact the strength of the structure.
Muneer Ahmad, general secretary , Markazi Auqaaf Shaar Shali, told Kashmir Reader that they were approached by the villagers with the request to intervene into the matter. “We visited the site and found that the slab was being laid during snowfall. It is quite obvious that freezing temperature will have its impact on the setting of cement,” he said, adding that people want this to be a quality structure as it is for the benefit of the local public.
He urged authorities to look into the matter as to how the contractor was allowed to lay the sab on the under construction health centre in subzero temperature while it was snowing. “We took up the matter with the head mason and asked him to stop the construction of the slab,” he said, adding that villagers of the area were dismayed over breach of technical formalities by the said contractor. He added that some villagers made video of the construction being carried out in snowfall and circulated the video on various social media. The local residents informed Kashmir Reader that the land for construction for New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) was donated by them to the health department. “The local people should also be taken into consultation for quality construction of the said building,” the villagers said.
Tehsildar Pampore Ishtiyaq Mohi-ud-Din told Kashmir Reader that he took up the matter with concerned officials of the housing board.
They assured me that they will carry different check and it is only after assessing the qualitative strength of the slab the payment will be released ,otherwise it will be withheld,” he said.

BILAL HABIB