14 years on, Botingoo PHC yet to be made operational

Sopore, Aug 27: The inhabitants of Botingoo area of Zaingeer belt in north Kashmir’s Sopore Saturday demand that the new building of the Primary Health Center (PHC) should be made operational.
Locals said that the building was under construction for the last 14 years, the building was completed last year, but it is still not operational for some unknown reasons.
Irfan Dilawar Bhat, a well-known social activist from Botingoo Zaingeer said that although the building has been completed for years, it has not been put into practice due to the careless approach of the concerned departments and district authorities.
He said that most of the villagers of Zaingeer area have to travel long distances to Sopore sub-district hospital for treatment which causes a lot of hardship for people.
He said that the building was completed a year ago but is still closed for unknown reasons which have now become a hotbed for illegal activities.
“The government has spent a lot of money for the construction of the PHC building but the general public is taking no benefits from it,” said Junaid Ahmed Butt, a local resident of Botingoo.
Accusing the health department of indifference, he said that the functioning of the building would mitigate a lot of problems for the villagers.
Block Medical Officer Sopore, sub-district Hospital Dr Zulifikar said that despite the completion of the building, the R&B department has not yet handed it over to the health department.
“We have already informed higher authorities about the matter,” he said.
Meanwhile, R&B Department Muzzafar Ahmad said that the work has stopped due to non availability of funds.
“We have issued a new Detailed Project Report (DPR) once it is approved, the work will resume again,” he said.