11 years on, PHC at Dangarpora Sopore still lying Non-functional
Danish Tariq
The residents of north Kashmir’s Dangerpora village are facing immense hardships as the only Primary Health Centre (PHC) has not been made functional even after a decade has passed and local helpless patients had to visit sub-district hospital Sopore for all kinds of medical facilities.
The foundation stone of PHC was laid in 2007 by then Congress government.
Manzoor Ahmad, local resident said, “Although a decade has passed since then but construction work of PHC was going on at snail pace due to the poor response of authorities now the building is complete and some minor work is pending which can be completed in few days but the work has not been started yet. He added building acts as an open place for youth to do illegal activities”, we have no means of medical facility in area if the PHC would made functional it would ease our medical troubles.
Ghulam Rasool, another local resident said, it was a beneficial step taken by government to establish PHC in our village to provide basic medical facilities to locals but government has failed to made functional PHC on every side “the interior of building is now damaged, firstly they have to renovate it now and it will take extra time and expenditures to complete the building, still no proper fencing is constructed around the PHC”, he added : my son fell ill before few days I had to take him to sub-district hospital which is 6 kms away from our village, sopore for the treatment.
Nazir Ahmad Khan, who owns the land on which PHC has been constructed said, “I have provided land measuring 2.7 Kanal for PHC at a cost of 16 lacs 21 thousand and total compensation I have received till now 11 lacs I am urging to the authorities to release my pending compensation.
When contacted Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Baramulla, Bashir Ahmad Chalkoo said, “Due to paucity of funds the construction work on PHC was going at snail pace but building is almost complete some further work need to be done so we have handed over the project to R&B Department to complete it, he further added by the end of the year we are hopeful the PHC would be made functional.
Pertinently, the cost for the construction of PHC at Dangarpora has been estimated as 1 crore 68 lacs.