The project is being executed by the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department

Anantnag: Ten years after it was sanctioned, the 50-bedded Sub-District Hospital (SDH) in Pahalgam in Anantnag district is a long way from completion. Only one of the two basements of the building has been completed by the executing agency.
The construction of the new building was sanctioned in the year 2012, and the Pahalgam Development Authority (PDA) was asked to identify land for the project. “There, however, was an inordinate delay in identifying the land in the first place,” a source in the health department said.
He said that the non-implementation of the master plan greatly hindered the search for a suitable piece of land. Finally, some 8 kanals of land were allocated for the construction of the hospital.
But it took nine years for the project to finally see the light of the day. “The construction was started recently and thus far only a basement has been constructed,” the source said.
The project is being executed by the Roads and Buildings (R&B) Department of Kashmir.
The delay in the completion of the project has only prolonged the healthcare woes of more than 3,000 dependent people, who rue that successive governments have been apathetic towards their plight.
“Other hospital buildings sanctioned at the time have been completed and are functional. The delay here is unwarranted and leaves us in the lurch,” locals in Pahalgam told Kashmir Reader.
The locals alleged that only the name of the existing health facility has been changed to SDH, the rest remains the same. “The facility is severely understaffed. The X-Ray technician here is in charge of three more plants at different locations, and that is just the tip of the iceberg,” the locals said.
The only time these locals get some relief is during the duration of the annual Amarnath Yatra when medics and paramedics are posted in abundance at this famous tourist destination.
“The yatra is going on and the healthcare scene has greatly improved. But it won’t last forever. The Yatra will end in August and so will our access to proper healthcare,” the locals lamented.
Kashmir Reader talked to the Chief Medical Officer (CMO) Anantnag, Dr M Y Zagoo, who said that the work was started only a year back, after the funds for the project were released.
“Now the work is going on, and a basement has been constructed thus far,” Zagoo said. He remained non-committal on giving a tentative time frame for completion.
“Cannot say much about that. They have just completed the basement,” he said.
The locals meanwhile continue to travel to different locations to access healthcare facilities. They have to often travel to Anantnag or even farther to get proper healthcare services, they said.

Suhail A Shah