Rehmat-e-Alam Hospital awaits approval after 5-year halt

Anantnag, Nov 24: The Health and Medical Education (H&ME) Department took over the Rehmat-e-Alam Hospital from a local trust in 2017, along with its assets and liabilities.

This process, initiated in 2015, aimed to address critical healthcare needs in the region by relocating the Maternity and Child Care Hospital (MCCH) from its unsafe and congested Sherbagh premises to the hospital’s facility on K P Road.

However, eight years later, the project remains incomplete, with work halted for over five years.

The original structure, comprising two floors built by the trust two decades ago, was approved for expansion with two additional floors.

The Jammu and Kashmir Housing Department initially began construction before the project was handed over to the Jammu and Kashmir Project Construction Corporation Limited (JKPCC).

Despite delays and setbacks, JKPCC nearly completed the structure, incurring a cost of Rs 6 crore of the sanctioned Rs 13 crore.

However, only minor portions, including parts of the truss, remained unfinished when the work was stopped.

Soon, the safety concerns were raised.

In response to this, the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jammu, conducted an audit of the building, funded with Rs 20 lakh, and after a year found it failed to meet safety criteria. The institute 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, allocated Rs 23 lakh, echoed similar recommendations.

The initial cost of strengthening the structure was estimated at Rs 6.5 crore.

It was later revised to Rs 8.5 crore by the Design Inspection Quality Control (DIQC) Department, which also suggested strengthening underground work.

Including retrofitting, electrical, mechanical, and interior finishing work, JKPCC projected the total cost to complete the project at Rs 20 crore.

In May 2023, the Health and Medical Education Department granted administrative approval to strengthen the building and complete pending work.

An order at outlined costs for pending work at Rs 18.57 crore and shear walls, jacketing, and VFDs at Rs 6.51 crore.

However, no progress followed.

With JKPCC defunct, the Public Works Department (PWD) took over the project and re-estimated the cost, adding Rs 32 crore for retrofitting, central heating installation, and finishing work.

An official said that restarting work now requires revised administrative approval.

“Although not officially declared unsafe, the building does not meet post-2005 earthquake safety standards for hospital use,” the official said.

He expressed concern over the apparent waste of Rs 13 crore spent so far.  “The hospital has around 30-kanal of land and is ideal for future expansion,” an official said.

PWD Executive Engineer Anantnag, Syed Ishfaq Ahmad confirmed that the building requires significant safety strengthening “As of now the plan has been put on hold,” he said.