Karnal: Work on village community health centre yet to resume

Parveen Arora

Tribune News Service

Karnal, January 9

The construction work of the building of Community Health Centre (CHC) in Nigdhu village, situated on the border of three districts Karnal, Kurukshetra and Kaithal, is stalled for the past seven months.

So far, only the boundary wall has been constructed, while the remaining work could not be started due to the death of the proprietor of the agency assigned

the construction work of the CHC by the government, said an official of the PWD (B&R).

Following the request of the proprietor’s wife of terminating the tender and settling the payment of the boundary wall without any penalty, the Superintending Engineer (SE), Karnal Circle PWD (B&R), has requested the Additional Chief Secretary (ACS) to terminate the previous tender and also invite fresh tender for the remaining work.

Earlier, Nigdhu, which is the centre place of around 30 villages, had a Primary Health Centre (PHC) and it had been running from a small building of the panchayat situated on the state highway since 1985. Residents had been demanding the upgrading of the PHC to CHC as well as the new building.

The government had approved one demand of the new building of the PHC and the work was allotted to M/S DS Infatech Pvt Ltd on February 1, 2019 of Rs 370.41 lakhs and the time limit was 15 months. After the allotment of the work, the government had decided to upgrade the PHC to CHC, so a revised administrative approval for the construction of the CHC was approved by the Director General Health Services, Haryana, on August 10, 2020, said sources in the department.

The agency was directed to start the work as per the revised architectural drawings received from the Chief Architect on August 17, 2020. The agency started the work, but only the boundary wall was completed at the cost of Rs 60 lakhs. In the meantime, the proprietor of the agency, Devender Singh Anand, died in June 2021 due to Covid, thereafter the work came to a standstill.

“I have received a request from the wife of Devender Singh Anand to terminate the tender and also to settle the dues up to the construction of the boundary wall without leving any penalty, which I have sent to the ACS of our department. I have also requested that a fresh tender be called for the construction of the remaining work of the CHC,” said Sandeep Goel, SE, PWD (B&R Karnal) Circle.

Angry over the stalled work and no attention being given by the authorities to this project, the residents met Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar last month and apprised him of the stalled work. “We had raised the issue with the CM and were assured the work would start soon. Almost one month is going to pass, but the work has not been resumed,” said Shri Chand Gupta, ex-sarpanch of Nigdhu village.

Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, said he would inquire about the delay in the work from the PWD and the Health Department authorities.

Will probe delay in work

I will inquire about the delay in the work from the PWD and the Health Department authorities. Nishant Kumar Yadav, Deputy Commissioner, Karnal

CM assured work would start soon

We had raised the issue with the CM and were assured the work would start soon. Almost one month is going to pass, but the work has not been resumed. — Shri Chand Gupta, ex-sarpanch of Nigdhu village

Request to call for fresh tender

I have also requested that a fresh tender be called for the construction of the remaining work of the CHC. — Sandeep Goel, SE, PWD (B&R) Karnal circle

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