There is hardly a week when we are not obliged to bring to light one or the other case which strengthens the belief that the Government is complacent about adhering to time frame for various projects even if these are of utmost urgency. In other words, we mean to say that the Government does not take indefinite delaying of completing projects anything serious about which it should express its deep concern. How come that the Government becomes part of slowdown process and to what purpose? In these columns we have been drawing attention of the Government to the delayed projects and asking why despite availability of funds, these projects are not brought to completion with the stipulated time limit.
We have yet another such case in sight. The Batote-Doda-Kishtwar National Highway – 1B runs between the two mountains and is thought to be the most dangerous road for vehicular traffic. Most of the road accidents in the State happen on this stretch of road. Deeply distressed on tragic road accidents happening intermittently and taking the toll of precious lives, the Government decided to set up a Trauma Hospital at Khillani in Doda District. The purpose of setting up the Trauma Hospital was that immediately medical assistance is provided to the victims of road accidents so that maxim lives are saved when such accidents happen. Already a Health Care exists at Thathri but that is not equipped with such infrastructure as would serve the requirements of victims of a road accident. The construction of the double storey Trauma Hospital building was started at Khillani in June 2010 by the J&K Projects Construction Corporation (JKPCC) and 3.90 crore rupees were sanctioned for the same. The previous Government had fixed 2013 as the deadline for completion of its construction. However, the hospital construction was not brought to completion on time. Extensions were asked and granted.
In the last District Development Board meeting held in July 2015, the matter came up in the course of discussing the ongoing projects and the Chief Minister was given an assurance by the JKPCC that the project would be formally inaugurated very soon. The Chief Minister allowed two months for its completion and this was the fourth extension given to JKPCC. Three months have gone by and still there is no sign of the Trauma Hospital ready for inauguration. If the JKPCC is not concerned of keeping the promise it has made to the Chief Minister, we have to express deep regret on sordid affairs of the organization called JKPCC. Almost five years have gone when the project was started. There was no dearth of funds and the Health Department released funds from time to time. When there is no technical hitch and when funds have been pouring in regularly, why should the project not bane completed within stipulated time is a question that must be probed into. We are aware that a peculiar culture has developed in the State administration of not trying to understand the social implications of delaying projects. This is happening just because there are no punitive measures to serve as deterrent to lethargy and dereliction of duty. There is no fully equipped health centre to provide advanced life saving treatment facilities to the accident victims and the Trauma Hospital was to provide all necessary facilities. How many road accidents have happened on NH-1B and how many victims could have been saved or served timely medical assistance to recover from the impact of the accident? The callous attitude of the contractors and the executing agency of the project is unpardonable.
Actually, there should have been coordination among various agencies concerned with the road rages along this dangerous artery running between the two parallel mountains in the District of Doda and Udhampur. The Departments of Roads and Buildings, Traffic Police, District Administration, Department of Health and Department of Finance could join to constitute a committee to overlook all such measures as are adopted by the Government to prevent road accidents happening so frequently. If the JKPCC had been warned from time to time during past five years when it undertook the construction of the Trauma Hospital, it is just possible that the structure would not have taken five years and still its completion is a doubtful matter. Nobody can predict whether the hospital will become functional or not and if it become functional will it be provided with all necessary paraphernalia that would justify its name of Trauma Hospital.
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