Tasaduq Hussain
Kupwara, Jul 3: The under-construction funds of New Type Primary Health Centre (NTPHC) Kalaroos in Kupwara were diverted to other projects in the Valley, hampering its completion, an official data has revealed.
In 2020, authorities cleared the construction of NTPHC at the cost of Rs 1,12,84,000 in Kalaroos.
After the tender formality and departmental procedure by the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board, a total of 89,06,968 rupees were allotted for the construction, an RTI application has revealed.
The RTI filed by the native resident Shahid Ul Islam Wani sought information about the status of funds and the process of construction work of the NTPHC.
Kalaroos with a population of 37233 (2011 census) is a far-flung area of the district and lacks proper health care facilities.
The RTI revealed that a total of 89,06,968 rupees were allotted by the Jammu and Kashmir Housing Board for the construction of NTPHC.
It also said that all formalities were completed for the project and a total of Rs 80 Lakh were cleared by the J&K Housing Board MD office.
In the same year, the construction work began. “A total of 10.14 lakh rupees were released for the construction work of NTPHC at Kalaroos,” it said.
But it said that the amount supposed to be spent on NTPHC Kalaroos was diverted to other major projects in different areas of Kashmir valley.
The RTI revealed that the rest of the amount was diverted by the then DGMs.
Of the Rs 80 Lakh, a total of Rs 69.56 lakh were diverted to other major projects in parts of Kashmir.
“The diverted amount of other projects include 17.12 Lakh rupees to NTPHC Dadompora, 24.00 Lakh rupees to Soibug, 2.44 Lakh rupees to NTPHC Mazhama, and 16.30 Lakh rupees to Shopping Complex at Chari Shareef,” revealed the RTI.
The RTI also reveals that Rs 10 Lakh were also diverted for the expenditure of unit 3rd.
As per the tender notice, the RTI revealed that the completion period for the NTPHC Kalaroos was only 12 months. The tender notice was issued by the J&K Housing Board on 29-06-2020.
As per the locals, only the base foundation (Plinth) has been completed back in 2020. Since then they said that the concerned department has been regularly complaining about the lack of funds to complete the health facility.
