Construction work at GMC Doda comes to a grinding halt due to shortage of funds

 

Amir Tantray

Doda, June 12: The construction work on Government Medical College (GMC) Doda at main campus Ghat has come to a grinding halt for the past three months as there are no more funds available with the construction agency Public Works Department (PWD) division Doda.

 

The contractor Kapahi construction agency has taken its men and machinery back and the GMC is still incomplete.

 

Even the main building, where all the offices, classrooms, laboratories and other things are located, is still incomplete. Besides, residential quarters, principal residence and many other buildings are also waiting for the funds to get complete.

 

Sources in PWD said that upto March some works were being executed by the contractor. “But after that he asked for payment of works already executed and failing to which he refused to work. Work has come to a complete halt and till the government sanctions more funds, no further work can be taken up,” said a source.

 

In 2014 the then UPA government had allotted five medical colleges for Jammu and Kashmir and GMC Doda was one of them to be constructed. After NDA government came into being the actual work on all the projects started and Rs 110 crore for each medical college was sanctioned for construction purpose. GMC Doda being situated at far off place from capital cities, the construction cost was higher than other colleges and till March this year, more than Rs 105 crore have been exhausted and the construction agency has sought more funds from the government.

 

The source said that PWD has requested government to allot Rs 60 to 65 crore more to complete the construction process but so far sanction has been granted for Rs 5 crore.

 

“When the project was conceived in 2014, the cost of every college was same but the nature of work of every college is different. There is cost escalation and GMC Doda being constructed at a far off place needs more funds. We have written to government and from state sector we are being allotted over Rs 3 crore for construction of residential quarters whereas around Rs 1.5 crore have been sanctioned for false ceiling of main building,” said Manoj Gupta, executive engineer PWD Doda.

 

“We are in the process of technical sanction and other things and once these formalities are completed work will resume,” Gupta added.

 

Due to poor management and diverting Rs 4.5 crore funds of GMC for construction of male and female intern hostel at Associated Hospital Doda without any proper approval, the construction work also faced a setback. The issue was brought into the notice of higher authorities of health and medical education department but so far no action has been taken against the people responsible for this act.

 

The work has not only stopped at GMC campus Ghat but the construction work on teaching hospital at AH Doda also suffered. All the funds for its construction also got exhausted and they need Rs 14 crore more to complete it.