Handwara’s healthcare dream on hold

Srinagar, Nov 2: Nearly 18 months after flash floods exposed glaring flaws in the site selection for Government Medical College (GMC) Handwara, the ambitious project remains mired in uncertainty.

A government reply tabled in the Assembly has confirmed that no alternative site has been finalised yet, leaving the much-hyped institution in bureaucratic limbo.

Once hailed as a milestone to bridge the healthcare gap in north Kashmir, GMC Handwara has seen little to no movement on the ground—unlike other medical colleges sanctioned around the same period, which have since become operational.

The government, responding to a question by legislator Khursheed Ahmed Sheikh, admitted that the original site at Maidan Chougal was rendered unusable following massive floods in April 2024.

“Due to heavy flash floods in April 2024, the original site for the construction of the Government Medical College Maidan Chougal, Handwara, was submerged up to 12 feet, resulting in a halt of work,” the reply stated.

A new “sunset date” for completion has now been set as March 2026. “The sunset date for the establishment of Government Medical College Handwara, along with District/Referral Hospital, has been extended till March 2026,” the government said.

However, officials conceded that construction cannot resume until multiple prerequisites are fulfilled. “Resumption of construction work for GMC Handwara relies upon several factors, including meeting National Medical Council (NMC) guidelines for relocation, transfer of 200 kanals of encumbrance-free land identified by the Deputy Commissioner Kupwara, obtaining a No Objection Certificate from the Science and Technology Department, and technical feasibility clearance from the Chief Engineer, PW(R&B) North Kashmir,” the reply noted.

The government also acknowledged that additional funding will be required, beyond the original Rs 70 crore allocation. “The project requires additional financial support and commitment for providing the balance Central share,” it said.

The floods of early 2024 not only derailed the project but triggered a prolonged debate over relocation. By March 2025, the Maidan Chougal site was officially abandoned, while disagreements over the new location added to the chaos.

Meanwhile, minor work continues at the Associated Hospital in Langate. “During the current financial year 2025–26, an amount of Rs 164.48 lakh has been provisioned for various activities, including installation of a 26-passenger lift, electrical works, and infrastructure strengthening,” the government said. These works are scheduled for completion by March 31, 2026.

When asked whether the funds originally sanctioned for GMC Handwara had been diverted elsewhere, the government replied in the negative.

Unlike other Government Medical Colleges in J&K, which have received an increase in MBBS intake capacity from the National Medical Commission, GMC Handwara has not been allotted any additional seats so far—another indicator of its uncertain future.

The fate of GMC Handwara, once envisioned as a cornerstone of equitable healthcare in north Kashmir, now hangs on a web of paperwork, shifting sites, and pending approvals—a project flooded first by nature, and now by neglect.