Govt rules out further safety audit of Rehmat-I-Alam Hospital building in Anantnag

Anantnag, Mar 26: The government has ruled out conducting any further safety audit of the Rehmat-I-Alam Hospital building in south Kashmir’s Anantnag district, citing an earlier assessment by the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jammu. “The Health and Medical Education Department upholds the safety audit report submitted by the prestigious IIT Jammu and, as such, will not conduct any further safety audit,” the government said in response to a query raised by Anantnag legislator Peerzada Muhammad Saeed during the ongoing assembly session. According to the government, IIT Jammu’s safety audit deemed the building unsafe for hospital use. “Furthermore, the estimated cost of strengthening the structure to accommodate a 100-bed facility is Rs 37 crore—exceeding the cost of constructing a new hospital, making the proposal economically unfeasible,” it said.

The government revealed that to enhance maternity and child care services in the south Kashmir region, a proposal for a 249-bedded Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) has been approved.

“The facility, to be established within the premises of Government Medical College (GMC) Janglatmandi, has an estimated cost of Rs 86 crore and has been cleared by the Building Screening Committee. The project is currently undergoing approval for Administrative Approval and Authorization (AAA),” it said. The Health and Medical Education Department took over the Rehmat-I-Alam Hospital from a local trust in 2017, including its assets and liabilities.

This acquisition was part of an initiative launched in 2015 to relocate the Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) from its unsafe and congested Sherbagh premises to the KP Road facility. However, eight years later, the project remains incomplete, with construction stalled for over five years. The original structure, comprising two floors built by the trust two decades ago, was slated for expansion with two additional floors.

Initially, the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Department commenced construction before transferring the project to the Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation Limited (JKPCC). Despite multiple setbacks, JKPCC nearly completed the structure, spending Rs 6 crore out of the sanctioned Rs 13 crore. However, minor portions, including parts of the truss, remained unfinished when the work was halted due to safety concerns.

In response to safety concerns, IIT Jammu was tasked with conducting an audit of the building at a cost of Rs 20 lakh. After a year-long study, the institute concluded that the structure failed to meet safety criteria. It recommended retrofitting and jacketing of vital beams and columns on the first two floors. A subsequent audit by the National Institute of Technology (NIT) Srinagar, conducted with a budget of Rs 23 lakh, confirmed similar findings. The initial estimated cost of strengthening the structure was Rs 6.5 crore, later revised to Rs 8.5 crore by the Design Inspection Quality Control (DIQC) department, which also recommended reinforcing underground work. JKPCC later projected a total cost of Rs 20 crore, including retrofitting, electrical, mechanical, and interior finishing work. In May 2023, the Health and Medical Education Department granted administrative approval to strengthen the building and complete pending work.

The department outlined the costs at Rs 18.57 crore for pending construction and Rs 6.51 crore for shear walls, jacketing, and Variable Frequency Drives (VFDs). However, no further progress was made. With JKPCC now defunct, the Public Works Department (PWD) took over the project and re-estimated the cost, adding Rs 30 crore for retrofitting, central heating installation, and finishing work.  An official said that restarting the work would require revised administrative approval. "Yes the building does not meet post-2005 earthquake safety standards for hospital use and needs strengthening," the official said. He expressed concerns over the apparent waste of Rs 13 crore spent so far. Given that the hospital has around 30 kanals of land, officials believe it remains a viable site for future healthcare expansion. “The health department should take ownership of the structure and put it to appropriate use,” an official said.