14 years on, Sopore hospital building awaits completion

Sopore: The residents of Botingo and adjacent villages Thursday expressed resentment against the authorities for failing to complete the New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) at Botingo in the Sopore area of north Kashmir’s Baramulla district even after the passage of 14 years.

The residents said that soon after the Botingo Sub Centre was upgraded to New Type Primary Health NTPHC in 2007, a two-storey building was approved for it following which the construction work was taken up but after the passage of 14 years, it remained incomplete.

They said that the health centre caters to a huge chunk of population spread over dozens of villages including Botingo, Watlab, Margrypora, Malpora, Mapanpora, Hatlungu, Warpora, Janwara, Arzan Sabun, and Cheerhaar but due to lack of infrastructure people were facing severe hardships about better healthcare.

The residents said that the two-storey building had already been completed a few years ago but the remaining work of sanitary, electric fittings and some other finishing works were not being carried due to reasons better known to the authorities.

The residents said that after repeated representations to successive dispensations, the sub-centre was upgraded but the callous approach of the concerned authorities had shattered their hopes of better healthcare.

“Due to lack of better healthcare in our vicinity, we are forced to visit Sub District Hospital (SDH) Sopore which is 11 km from our area,” a local from Botingo said.

He said that the concerned authorities had failed to complete the project and the building was becoming a haven for gamblers and drug addicts.

An official said that Rs 85.16 lakh were required to complete the project.

He said that Director Health Services Kashmir had on December 11, 2021, written to Additional Chief Secretary Health and Medical Education Department seeking the release of funds so that the NTPHC Botingo could be completed.

The official expressed hope that if funds would be released soon, the remaining work could be accomplished and the hospital shifted to the new building.